Tuesday 16 April: A new scientific review1 published in Sustainable Production and Consumption explores how best to standardize measurement of the environmental impact of coffee – a commodity increasingly threatened by climate change2.
Measurement of green coffee's carbon footprint has traditionally varied, as is often the case for any agricultural lifecycle assessment. The Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee (ISIC) commissioned the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD) to review current methodologies for green coffee, revealing a more precise picture of how to measure the environmental impact of the raw material used in one of the world's most popular drinks.
Cécile Chéron-Bessou, lead CIRAD researcher on the review, explains: "Life cycle-based assessments are complex and based on numerous simplifications and choices. A key principle for these assessments is therefore absolute transparency around the exact choices and assumptions made as part of modelling. We hope our review will serve as a robust tool for transparent and sound measurement of green coffee's carbon footprint – helping farmers and researchers to support good practices for sustainable coffee growing".
CIRAD identified and reviewed 34 studies, alongside international agricultural guidelines on measuring carbon footprints. The studies were representative of the many different regions and settings coffee is grown in. For example, 72% of all studied farm systems were located in central and south America - making up 70% of global coffee production.
As highlighted in the review, the total carbon footprint of green coffee can vary greatly depending on a number of key factors. These include:
- Land Use Change – human-driven changes in use or management of land
- Varying levels of nitrogen fertilizer usage
- Coffee residues from pruning, leaf litter, and coffee husks - differing levels of residues vary emissions produced as they decompose and release stored carbon
- Wet process emissions – cleaning, sorting, and drying of coffee cherries and beans
The published review was conducted in parallel to a more detailed report3 that provides a series of recommendations to standardize measurement in these areas. For example, simple guidance to identify representative measurements for different coffee farm systems and consistently apply land use change modelling, and outlining how best to estimate total biomass (including roots) of other trees present in coffee systems. As coffee is a perennial crop, which lives for many years without replanting, the review also provides guidance on accurate modelling and average measurement across trees in different phases of maturity.
With this study, ISIC starts expanding its scope beyond health to sustainable coffee farming practices. Please visit the ISIC website to read the review's recommendations in full and to find out more about Coffee & Sustainability.
