A second step of importance is the translation of the concept of sustainability to the entire coffee
chain. For instance a the level of the farmer, definitions of sustainable coffee incorporate the need
for agricultural practices to be economically viable, to be environmentally less damaging, to be
concerned with social issues such as quality of life and to be institutionally organised in a efficient
and effective way. To enable the farmers to make trade-off decisions amongst the four aspects of
sustainability, information plays a central role. In figure 5 the conventional production costs are
listed for the agricultural part of the coffee chain in Costa Rica. A first attempt is made to classify
these costs in sustainability relevance.