Sustainability and Voluntary Certification in the Kenyan Tea Sector

The report details a March 2019 workshop aimed at addressing the opportunities and challenges of Voluntary Sustainability Certification (VSC) in Kenya's tea industry. Key findings highlight that while VSCs improve market access and environmental practices, they impose prohibitive costs and create 'certification fatigue' due to a multiplicity of standards. The document recommends the development of a national benchmarked standard, similar to the Kenya Flower Council's model, and the creation of a multistakeholder platform to implement a collective action plan.

• Voluntary Sustainability Certification (VSC) provides several benefits to the Kenyan tea sector, including improved market access, increased competitiveness, and enhanced environmental and social welfare. Specifically, it helps producers "achieve competitive edge and differentiate product from other similar goods" and promotes "sustainable resource management (efficient input use)."
• The sector faces significant challenges with VSCs, most notably the "prohibitive costs" of certification and a "multiplicity of certifications causing fatigue." Smallholder farmers are particularly affected by documentation requirements that are "not practical" and a "top-down" approach that makes VSCs seem "elitist."
• Evidence from Rainforest Alliance suggests that certification can lead to positive economic and environmental outcomes. In Ivory Coast, certified farmers saw "significantly higher annual yields, revenues and net income," while in Kenya, trained farmers showed "higher rates of adoption of water conservation practices."
• Stakeholders recommend the creation of a national benchmarked standard to align certifications with local conditions and reduce costs. This is modeled after the Kenyan flower sector's "Kenya Flower Council (KFC) Code of Practice," which is "independently benchmarked to Global GAP" and allows for "multi audits," reducing overall costs.
• The Kenyan government, through the Agriculture and Food Authority, is exploring ways to "harmonize the standards" to address the issue of "multiple and costly international standards," including phytosanitary, KEBS, and ISO programs.
• To improve the livelihoods of smallholders, the report suggests using VSCs as a tool for poverty reduction by incorporating "corporate social responsibility (CSR) into tea companies strategic plans" and providing "incentive packages to support compliance."

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (2019). Sustainability and Voluntary Certification in the Kenyan Tea Sector. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/kenyan-tea-sector-meeting-report.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. Sustainability and Voluntary Certification in the Kenyan Tea Sector. 2019. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/kenyan-tea-sector-meeting-report.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=Sustainability and Voluntary Certification in the Kenyan Tea Sector |date=2019 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/kenyan-tea-sector-meeting-report.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopment2019sustainability, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{Sustainability and Voluntary Certification in the Kenyan Tea Sector}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2019}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/kenyan-tea-sector-meeting-report.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }