An overview of carbon footprint reduction in the global coffee trade: Sustainable production, consumption

Abstract

Coffee is one of the world’s most traded products, with coffee consumption becoming part of our daily lives. With increasing coffee production and consumption, the coffee trade between producing and non-producing countries is expected to continue growing. However, the coffee supply chain negatively impacts the environment through carbon emissions. As a result, this overview highlights and recommends specific initiatives that the coffee industry can embrace to reduce carbon emissions. These include: the replacement of plastic cup packaging with biodegradable cups; the use of plant-based milk products as opposed to cow milk; the integration of organic farming systems; the use of a heat induction hub to replace LPG gas stove; the reuse of spent coffee ground waste for brick making process and biofuels; introduction of carbon tax and automation of wet mill processing and wastewater reuse. This, in turn, not only reduces carbon footprint but mitigates the impact of climate change thus building a resilient coffee supply chain. Further study could be explored on building a more climate-smart and resilient coffee supply chain.