Sustainable coffee is coffee that is conscious of the environmental, social, and economic impact of the entire value chain.

Coffee is part of the daily routine of millions of people and for many of us, it is also a moment of pause and togetherness.
But have you ever stopped to think about the impact your coffee choices have on the environment?

The good news is that you don't have to change everything to do better. Small decisions, from the type of coffee you buy to how you prepare it, can have a real impact – both environmentally and socially.

Sustainable coffee

The three pillars of sustainability are: people, planet, and profit.

Therefore, sustainable coffee must have a long-term commitment to making coffee production, trade, and consumption environmentally friendly, socially just, and economically viable.

Despite being an agricultural product, coffee is far from environmentally neutral. On the contrary, the way it is cultivated, processed, transported, and consumed contributes significantly to deforestation, biodiversity loss, water pollution, and carbon emissions.

The environmental footprint of coffee

A large portion of coffee is cultivated in full sun systems, which involves the removal of entire forests to increase productivity. This practice destroys natural habitats, accelerates soil erosion, and increases greenhouse gas emissions. This is compounded by chemical fertilizers and pesticides that contaminate soils and waterways, with direct impacts on local communities.

It is estimated that coffee production accounts for between 40% and 70% of the industry’s total carbon footprint, depending on the agricultural method. Among plant-based foods, coffee has one of the highest carbon footprints, second only to cocoa, at around 17 kg of CO₂ per kilogram of coffee produced. On a global scale, this translates to hundreds of thousands of tons of emissions per year.

But sustainability isn’t just about the environment; it’s also a social issue. Fairtrade estimates that about 125 million people depend on coffee production for their livelihoods. Of these, approximately 25 million are smallholder farmers, accounting for about 80% of global production. Despite this, many live in situations of extreme economic vulnerability, with unstable incomes below the poverty line. At the same time, most of the value of coffee remains in the countries where the product is roasted, packaged, marketed, and sold at a high price.

It is in this context that the concept of sustainable coffee emerges. In this article, we share simple and realistic tips to make your coffee consumption more sustainable, without compromising on quality or flavor.

Greenwashing

Sustainability isn’t just a marketing buzzword; it must be a business model, a core value, and a shared responsibility. Sustainability isn’t just about what we do, but how we think.

We call greenwashing that which is perceived as merely visible (recycled cups, green logos, sustainability seals), and sustainability the ethics and creation of systems that guarantee sustainability – such as fair payments throughout the chain, traceability, and long-term community maintenance.

Sustainability at the source

Not all coffee is the same. specialty coffee It stands out not only for the quality of the cup, but also for its traceability and more responsible practices throughout the value chain.

So, when choosing coffees:

• prioritize transparent roasters over origin and producer
• seeking information on fair payments and direct relationships
• values projects that talk about real sustainability, not just marketing

At Tasteology, we work with Portuguese roasters who buy coffee consciously and value the work of producers because sustainability begins at the source.

Instant coffee

Despite being quick and convenient, instant coffee has a higher environmental cost than coffee beans. This impact results from three factors: raw materials, energy consumption, and packaging.

To produce instant coffee, more green coffee is needed per cup. While a cup of filter coffee requires an average of 15g of coffee, instant coffee requires a substantially larger amount of beans to compensate for losses during industrial processing.

Studies of Life Cycle Analysis indicate that the production of instant coffee may require more than double the amount of beans per final unit consumed, when compared to regular coffee beans, because its production requires several additional steps compared to traditional coffee. After roasting, a process common to both, instant coffee is ground, extracted with hot water on a large scale, a concentrate of the coffee extraction is made, and then the concentrate is dried. And, to be consumed, it will be necessary to heat water for preparation.

Instant coffee is traditionally distributed in glass jars which, although recyclable (in an energy-intensive way), increase transport emissions due to their weight, require high temperatures to produce, and have a higher carbon footprint per unit of product than flexible packaging.

According to a study published in 2023 In terms of the sustainability of coffee production, instant coffee can require up to 11 times more energy per cup than ground coffee brewed at home.

Certifications - yes or no?

Although certifications like Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance, or Organic are good indicators, they are not a guarantee of quality or sustainability, nor should they be a point of distinction from other coffees that do not have certification.

It is necessary to think critically about certifications – certifying a coffee requires a financial investment and may require changes in the coffee's planting, harvesting, or processing that are not feasible for small producers or do not make sense at the origin.

Beyond that, certification is often linked to a vague commitment that does not translate into structural changes. More important than the seal is the clarity of information and transparency about the origin and production process of the coffee.

Local roasters

When we buy coffee only from national roasters, ...we are not only shortening the supply chain, but also increasing transparency and boosting the local economy. Furthermore, specialty coffee in Portugal is roasted exclusively by small producers, which means that buying their coffee supports small businesses.

Waste

We cannot talk about sustainability in coffee without talking about the end of the chain – waste.

Coffee capsules

Every year, billions of coffee capsules end up in landfills. Recycling, which doesn’t always happen, is also complicated. Therefore, choosing whole bean coffee will always be more sustainable.

Reuse

Coffee grounds, like paper filters, are biodegradable and great for composting. The grounds can be used in gardening, for odor neutralization, and for cleaning, ensuring that there is no waste of material at the end of each cup of coffee.

The extraction method

Coffee preparation methods also have an energy and environmental impact. Thus, the manual processes, which only require water heating, without needing to create pressure, require less electricity than electric ones.

But even when opting for an electrical appliance, it's important to make a conscious choice – buying one appliance that lasts 10 years is more sustainable than several with a short lifespan.

Sustainability – processes and awareness

Sustainability is made up of creating processes and awareness in choices throughout the entire product chain. An isolated decision is not a solution. However, each positive choice contributes to a more just and balanced system.