CERTIFIED CLIMATE POSITIVE COFFEE
Any coffee that meets Climate Wave Basics, a set of mandatory climate-positive solutions distinguishing climate-positive coffee from the rest, is eligible for our certification, which we offer to coffee farmers free of charge.
After extensive fieldwork in the Global Coffee Value Chain, we have uncovered numerous social and environmental injustices, and the list continues to grow as we deepen our engagement in the industry. In response, we’ve developed a set of solutions, which we call Climate Wave Coffee Solutions, that form the foundation of our work at Climate Wave Coffee. Among these, certain high-priority solutions, known as the Climate Wave Basics, are critical to addressing climate change. These must be implemented immediately if we hope to reverse global warming. Coffees that meet these standards are shade-grown, fairly traded, water-preserving, and biodiversity-protecting—what we call Certified Climate Positive Coffees. Below is the full list of criteria a coffee must meet to be considered climate-positive.
If you are looking for a list of Climate-Positive Roasted Coffee beans available in the market, click below. Please note that the list is only available for signed-in users. Please create your free-account.
CLIMATE WAVE BASICS
A carefully selected list from Climate Wave Coffee Solutions that identify climate-positive coffee from the rest
CLIMATE WAVE COFFEE SOLUTION#
1.1
Grow coffee plants under the shade of trees
this solution is a part of climate wave basics
Because shade trees will reduce 300g of CO2e per cup of coffee from our environment.
CLIMATE WAVE COFFEE SOLUTION#
1.2
Grow coffee plants along with diverse native shrubs, plants, and trees
this solution is a part of climate wave basics
Because multi-storey fauna protects and enriches forest so the forests can continue to reduce 300g of CO2e from our environment for every cup of coffee we drink.
CLIMATE WAVE COFFEE SOLUTION#
1.3
Grow coffee plants in a biodiversity-rich forest environment that provides food and shelter to wild animals and birds
this solution is a part of climate wave basics
Because animals and birds create, shape, and enrich forests so the forests can continue to reduce 300g of CO2e from our environment for every cup of coffee we drink.
CLIMATE WAVE COFFEE SOLUTION#
2.1
Pay coffee fruit pickers fairly and treat them with respect
this solution is a part of climate wave basics
Because if not paid or treated well, the coffee pickers will choose different profession and will force coffee farmers to sell off forested lands for deforestation or development. Without forests ,300g of CO2e cannot be reduced per cup of coffee we drink.
CLIMATE WAVE COFFEE SOLUTION#
3.1
Choose coffee processing techniques that preserve water
this solution is a part of climate wave basics
Because, water is life and without water forest will not thrive. Without forests 300g of CO2e cannot be reduced per cup of coffee we drink.
CLIMATE WAVE COFFEE SOLUTION#
4.2
Pay coffee producers fairly and treat them with respect
this solution is a part of climate wave basics
Because if not paid or treated well, the coffee farmers will choose different profession and they will sell off forested lands for deforestation or development. Without forests ,300g of CO2e cannot be reduced per cup of coffee we drink.
SCIENTIFIC CALCULATIONS
Ever wondered how we arrived at our numbers? Here you go!
The process of making a cup of coffee beverage involves various steps, each contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. However, if the coffee is grown in biodiversity-friendly environments, it helps coffee forests to capture greenhouse gas emissions.
To brew one cup of black coffee, about 15 grams of ground-roasted coffee beans are used. The production of these 15 grams contributes to approximately 250 grams of greenhouse gas emissions. The majority (85.4%) of these emissions come from farm-level activities. Packaging and retailing contribute 10.3%, roasting operations 3.6%, and transportation only 0.6%.
In the coffee-growing regions, moist tropical forests play a significant role in reducing CO2e emissions. They can mitigate up to 11 tonnes of CO2e per hectare per year. Additionally, only 16% of total coffee fruits become green coffee beans. From this, 4.22 tons of coffee fruits are harvested per hectare of land, yielding about 550 kg of roasted beans. This quantity results in approximately 36,666 cups of coffee.
Therefore, each cup of climate-positive coffee, grown under the canopy of a biodiversity-friendly coffee forest, is responsible for reducing around 0.3 kg (or 300 g) of CO2e emissions from the environment. It's important to note that shade-grown coffee isn't sufficient; it must be biodiversity-friendly, as only dense, moist forests with fertile soil can effectively reduce CO2e emissions.
Now, is it feasible to produce 100% of the global coffee requirement from a biodiversity-rich forest environment? Globally, we consume 2 billion cups of coffee per day. We only need 20 million hectares of forested land to produce 2 billion cups of coffee per day, alongside various other forest food and medicinal products. However, we have up to 600 million hectares of tropical forest land that may be suitable for growing coffee. So the answer is it's highly possible to produce climate-positive coffees to satisfy 100% of global demand.
References to scientific facts:
J. Poore, T. Nemecek. Reducing food’s environmental impacts through producers and consumers. Science360, 987-992 (2018). DOI: 10.1126/science.aaq0216
Book: Parry, Ian W.H., Ruud de Mooij, and Michael Keen. Fiscal Policy to Mitigate Climate Change: A Guide for Policymakers. International Monetary Fund, 2012.
Chapter: Mendelsohn, Robert, et al. "Chapter 5. Forest Carbon Sequestration."
Subtitle within the Chapter: "The Potential of Carbon Sequestration."
Authors of the Chapter: Mendelsohn, Robert, Roger Sedjo, and Brent Sohngen.
Affiliations of Chapter Authors: Yale University, United States; Resources for the Future, United States; Ohio State University, United States.
Relationship of Fruit and Bean Sizes and Processing Methods on the Conversion Ratios of Arabica Coffee (Coffea arabica) Cultivars - Scientific Figure on ResearchGate. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Conversion-ratio-of-red-cherry-to-clean-coffee-as-affected-by-processing-method-and_tbl2_341787458 [accessed 2 Feb, 2024]
Chapagain, A., & Hoekstra, A. (2007). The water footprint of coffee and tea consumption in the Netherlands. Ecological Economics, 64(1), 109-118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2007.02.022
https://www.statista.com/statistics/263311/worldwide-production-of-coffee/
Schroeder, Paul. “Agroforestry Systems: Integrated Land Use to Store and Conserve Carbon.” Climate Research, vol. 3, no. 1/2, 1993, pp. 53–60. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24863332. Accessed 11 Apr. 2024.
Source data used for our calculation: https://ourworldindata.org/food-choice-vs-eating-local
WHAT ABOUT CAFE LATTE?
Adding latte to coffee adds more greenhouse gases to environment
A 12oz Cafe Latte is typically made with espresso and 200g of milk. A dairy milk latte emits a total of 877g of CO2e, while an oat milk latte emits 443g of CO2e.
Source data used for our calculations: https://ourworldindata.org/environmental-impact-milks
WHAT ABOUT DISPOSABLE PAPER COFFEE CUPS?
Disposable paper cups add more greenhouse gases to environment
Each cup of black coffee emits 250g of greenhouse gases. This figure is calculated using a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), which accounts for each stage from growing coffee plants to the processing of roasted coffee beans. However, the greenhouse gas emissions increase when coffee is served in disposable cups.
So-called "compostable" single-use paper coffee cups are commonly used disposable cups worldwide. The compostability of these cups is debatable and depends on the specific geographic location and its composting facilities.
Regardless of whether a single-use disposable paper cup is compostable or not, it remains environmentally harmful, emitting an additional 110g of greenhouse gases per cup.
Reference: “An Investigation into Reusable Coffee Mug” By Albert Chang, Daniel Craig, Josh Leclerc, Tianyu Fang, and Niv Nikaein: https://open.library.ubc.ca/media/stream/pdf/18861/1.0108413/1