Jose Ureña: What do you think are the changes we all should make in the coffee industry?
Hortensia Solis: First, it is important that you know that 50% of the CO2 emissions from the coffee sector come from the production side of the value chain (i.e., the farms). The other 50% comes from the consumption side of coffee (i.e., the preparation of coffee beverages). The coffee industry has begun working on actions to reduce its environmental footprint. The majority of these actions have been focused on the production phases of the value chain. Farmers are asked to meet environmental and social criteria in order to get their coffee beans certified to international standards like UTZ and Rainforest Alliance.
In addition, large coffee roasting companies have invested significant efforts to ensure farms are managed in a sustainable way. I am not sure that the same can be said for the consumption side of the value chain. I don’t know of any major environmental certification scheme for roasters and coffee shops. There is significant opportunity to reduce the CO2 emissions associated with this side of the value chain. I recently produced a bilingual video that speaks to this point. It’s an amateur video, but it highlights the key opportunities for reducing emissions from the consumption side.
Hortensia Solis: First, it is important that you know that 50% of the CO2 emissions from the coffee sector come from the production side of the value chain (i.e., the farms). The other 50% comes from the consumption side of coffee (i.e., the preparation of coffee beverages). The coffee industry has begun working on actions to reduce its environmental footprint. The majority of these actions have been focused on the production phases of the value chain. Farmers are asked to meet environmental and social criteria in order to get their coffee beans certified to international standards like UTZ and Rainforest Alliance.
In addition, large coffee roasting companies have invested significant efforts to ensure farms are managed in a sustainable way. I am not sure that the same can be said for the consumption side of the value chain. I don’t know of any major environmental certification scheme for roasters and coffee shops. There is significant opportunity to reduce the CO2 emissions associated with this side of the value chain. I recently produced a bilingual video that speaks to this point. It’s an amateur video, but it highlights the key opportunities for reducing emissions from the consumption side.
