Coffee industry needs “bolder action” even if key companies are ramping up sustainability

02 Sep 2022 --- The Global Coffee Platform (GCP) has revealed that eight of the coffee industry’s key roasters and retailers increased their sustainable coffee purchases last year. However, more collaborative efforts need to be made to ensure a sustainable shift in the sector.

To count as a sustainable coffee purchase, the GCP considers transactions against its Baseline Coffee Code, which includes purchases made in conjunction with sustainability schemes such as Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance/UTZ, Certifica Minas and Enveritas Gold. 

The GCP Snapshot 2021 report provides insights into the sustainable coffee purchases of JDE Peet’s, Melitta Group, Keurig Dr. Pepper, Nestlé, Strauss Coffee, SUPRACAFÉ, Tesco and Westrock Coffee. 

According to the GCP, the companies involved provide “leadership, actions and impact on fostering increased production and consumption of sustainable coffees.”

The Global Coffee Platform was formed in March 2016 to work toward a more sustainable coffee industry collectively.“While important work is underway, even bolder individual and collaborative efforts are needed to achieve transformational change that results in the economic viability of sustainable coffee farming and a living income for producers and workers while preserving nature and addressing climate change effectively,” explains Annette Pensel, executive director at GCP.

Sustainable purchases increase
Environmentally sustainable coffee purchases by the companies grew to 55% in 2021, reaching 1.2 million metric tons. 

This represents a 29% increase compared to 2020 and is attributed to two companies sharing data in 2021 that were not included in the previous year’s tally. 

The total amount of green coffee purchased by the reporting companies for the period was 2.2 million metric tons. 

According to GCP’s statistics, 99% of US beverage company Keurig Dr. Pepper’s 126,104 metric tons of purchased green coffee met the sustainability criteria, followed by 82% of Swiss food and beverage giant Nestlé’s 986,980 metric tons. 

All of UK supermarket retailer Tesco’s 6,836 metric tons of green coffee met the criteria. 

Edited by Elizabeth Green