The coffee in your cup is the end of a long journey that began in one of the most distant corners of the world. At every step of that journey, it leaves an imprint on people, land and climate. So what does 'sustainable coffee' really mean?
Sustainability
The coffee in your cup is the end of a long journey that began in one of the most distant corners of the world. At every step of that journey, it leaves an imprint on people, land and climate. So what does 'sustainable coffee' really mean?
Coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world after oil. Around 10 billion kilograms of coffee are produced each year, and this production is the livelihood of some 25 million farmer families in developing countries across Africa, Latin America and Asia. Coffee is also one of the agricultural sectors most affected by climate change — it is estimated that up to half of today's coffee-growing land may no longer be suitable by 2050. That is why 'sustainable coffee' is more than a fashionable phrase; it is the industry's fight to save its own future.
Sustainable coffee stands on three legs: economic, social and ecological. Economically, giving farmers a price they can live from. Socially, giving farming families access to schools, healthcare and safe working conditions. Ecologically, preventing soil erosion and deforestation, protecting biodiversity, and reducing carbon emissions.
The best-known certifications here are Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance and UTZ. Fairtrade-certified coffees pay farmers a guaranteed minimum price and an additional 'social premium'. Rainforest Alliance audits ecological and social standards together. These schemes are not perfect — critics point out that they can be bureaucratic and that premiums are still not enough. But they do make the global supply chain a little fairer than it would otherwise be.
There is a dimension of sustainable coffee that goes beyond certification: direct trade. In this model, the roaster works directly with the farmer, without middlemen. This means higher income for the farmer and better quality control for the roaster. Small-scale specialty roasters, Numerica included, usually prefer this model.
Another point to watch in coffee's ecological footprint is packaging and shipping. Aluminium capsules look recyclable but in practice are rarely recycled. Coffee in glass jars carries a heavy weight and higher shipping emissions. Compostable packaging is promising but still costly. The choices coffee brands make here have real impact.
As a home consumer the best thing you can do is choose consciously. Instead of very cheap coffee whose origin is unclear and which has passed through a chain of middlemen, shop from small and transparent roasters. Support brands that work directly with origins and know their farmers and farms by name. At Numerica we know the farmers of the origins we work with, visit them regularly, and base our purchasing decisions not just on quality but on the sustainability of the relationship.
There is a story behind your coffee. Choosing that it be a good story is up to you.
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