Currently, there are various certifications in the tea sector in Indonesia such as the Ethical Tea Partnership (ETP), Rainforest Alliance (RFA), Fair Trade and UTZ Certified (which is starting to make certifications in the tea sector). The emergence of various forms of certification is indeed a guarantee for consumers that the products they buy or consume are products that are produced in a responsible way and take into consideration the principles of business sustainability. On the other side, competition among certification bodies becomes a condition that is difficult to avoid.
The implementation of certification does have a positive side, namely encouraging business actors to implement more socially responsible practices. However, on the other hand, existing certification sometimes only meets the needs of buyers without considering the local conditions of producers that become challenges for producers to fulfil the requirement.
Based on this background, BWI in collaboration with Solidaridad, supported by the Indonesian Tea Council and OXFAM Novib Netherland, held a one-day consultation workshop with the theme “Building a National Platform for Sustainable Tea Initiatives in Indonesia” on 23 July 2008 at the Papandayan Hotel, Bandung. This workshop aimed to bridge the interests of producers and tea certification bodies in Indonesia and open up discourse on the possibility of cooperation between certification bodies.
Three representatives of certification bodies attended this workshop namely Peter Sprang- Representative from Rainforest Alliance, Andrew J Robertson- Representative from Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC- a consulting service which includes ETP) and Dr. Shatadru Chattopadhayay from Solidaridad-as a UTZ Certified colleague.
This workshop was attended by around 40 tea stakeholders in Indonesia such as the Plantation Service, Indonesian Tea Council, Indonesian Tea Association, farmers, business people, social group organizations, trade unions and academics. This workshop is still in the form of an initial discussion to open a discourse on cooperation between certification bodies