In today’s coffee sector, sustainability issues in the coffee industry are gaining more attention than ever. Sustainable coffee UK is a hot topic for many businesses in the food and drink sector. More than ever, brands and businesses are realising the social, economic, and environmental sustainability issues in the coffee industry.
The main reason why sustainable coffee UK is becoming more important, is the increased focus and growing discussion around climate change. Let’s dive deeper into the three key areas of consideration when it comes to sustainability issues in the coffee industry.
Environmental & Social Issues – Sustainable Coffee Suppliers
Environmental sustainability and climate uncertainty is perhaps the most pressing issue facing the world today. Therefore, it is incredibly important to consider how we can better advocate sustainable coffee UK, both as consumers and business owners.
Agriculture drives most deforestation in the world. Much like the meat and dairy industries, coffee farming also requires a lot of resources. For example, coffee has a huge water footprint given the amount of water needed for coffee bean crops.
Not only resources, but unpredictable climates are having an impact on local farmers, where precipitation is more volatile, drought and flooding are both more widespread, and rising temperatures threaten coffee farmers.
A way forward for the environment, is for coffee businesses to work with sustainable coffee suppliers and farmers that advocate good agricultural practices, including the safe and sensible disposal of by-products. For example, coffee waste water contains high levels of potassium which can damage the environment if not properly disposed of.
Furthermore, it’s important that farmers protect the environment in the process, increasing biodiversity on their farms, providing good working conditions for workers, and paying decent income to workers from the sale of their certified coffees.
Minimising the Carbon Footprint of your Coffee Business
The import-export side of coffee is also a cause for consideration when questioning, “is coffee production sustainable?” For example, coffee beans that are sourced through direct trade such as that under fair trade coffee subscriptions, means it skips as many unnecessary steps in the supply chain as possible, to ensure farmers get fairer prices for their product.
Not only processes, but packaging is another way for many coffees business to minimise their carbon footprint. For example, disposable cups and single-use coffee pods are difficult to recycle and create waste volume with every cup. There are some small moves toward more sustainable options, including the proposal of a compostable pods that are biodegradable. As consumers, we can also make efforts to use reusable coffee cups.
Sustainable Business Models – Sustainable Coffee Subscriptions
When searching for good coffee, look out for businesses that advocate climate positive business models. Be sure to do your research too.
For example, sustainable coffee subscriptions may entail businesses that not only consider the above but are also involved in sustainability initiatives including proactively planting trees each month and donating a percentage of sales to climate positive causes.
More About the Sustainability of The Coffee Officina
At The Coffee Officina we are absolutely committed to ensure all our coffee is provided ethically, from field to cup. We work closely with coffee producers and a range of ethical importers who deal directly with coffee farmers at origins all over the world.
Our products are influenced by our travels, our cultural backgrounds, the passionate people we work with, and diverse styles and flavours of the coffee beans we supply. If you would like to find out more information about you can subscribe to our coffee, feel free to contact us at: info@thecoffeeofficina.com.