How to identify sustainable specialty coffee roasters?
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In recent years, it seems that the demand for sustainable specialty coffees has become increasingly popular. Coffee shops are also gradually transforming to a green model, conducting business activities that are more environmentally and socially responsible. However, from the consumer’s perspective, it is not always easy to realize that a restaurant or a specialty roaster is truly sustainable. To be able to identify correctly, let’s find out with 43 Factory Coffee Roaster now!
Sustainability throughout the specialty coffee supply chain
When talking about the sustainability of specialty coffee, many people often consider production and export to be the two main areas of focus. This is because the aspects affecting sustainability across the industry at these two points are quite prominent. For example, in production, it is easy to see through annual reports that millions of coffee farmers are living in poverty. Therefore, they cannot have enough financial resources to support their families and develop the farm. In some Latin American and East African countries, women and children are exploited and treated unfairly at work. They are the main responsible person, performing most of the heavy work in the production process but do not receive a commensurate income or are despised, derided, and unfairly promoted in benefits. This affects farm productivity and household welfare. Besides, the production and business process also threatens the living environment. A 2021 study from University College London found that manufacturing has the second highest total carbon footprint in the supply chain after coffee exports. This is because transporting coffee depends on the use of fossil fuels, as it is often transported on large cargo ships. In addition, other sustainability issues in coffee production include deforestation, misuse of fertilizers and pesticides, loss of biodiversity and habitat for local wildlife, and pollution from wastewater.
Besides problems in coffee production and export, the back-end stages of supply also have a significant impact on overall sustainability. While it’s impossible to know for sure, some researchers suggest that global coffee shops’ energy consumption accounts for 45% of the industry’s carbon footprint. It is difficult to say whether these findings accurately represent the broader coffee industry. However, this certainly shows the role coffee shops and roasters play in implementing sustainable business practices. Therefore, roasters and coffee shops need to take on a responsibility to reduce their environmental impact and be more socially conscious.
Growing demand for sustainable specialty coffee
Today, consumers tend to choose to use more sustainable products and brands. Deloitte’s 2022 survey of how consumers accept sustainability shows that one in three people in the UK has stopped buying a product because of ethical or sustainability concerns for particular brands. About 40% of those surveyed said they choose to buy from brands with environmentally friendly values and behaviors. There are many reasons for this change in consumer behavior. According to the results of research by First Insight and the University of Pennsylvania in 2022, the main reason that drives consumers to buy sustainable products is the desire to become more environmentally conscious, contributing to better ecosystems. In addition, the health factor of products also makes them willing to pay more for sustainable products. This applies not only to Gen Z, but to all generations.
How to find sustainable specialty roasters?
There are many ways to find a specialty coffee shop, but knowing if a specialty coffee shop or roaster is truly sustainable is not easy. The simplest way is to search for them on websites or social media platforms. Then the next step is to ask coffee shops and roasters about their business. You can also talk to baristas, roasters and business owners about what their companies are doing to reduce their carbon footprint or support various social causes.
Then, for a more accurate and objective assessment, Max Dubiel – co-founder of Redemption Roasters suggests that you can use the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as a basis to understand more about the coffee shop or roaster’s business. Some of the United Nations SDGs include ensuring sustainable patterns of production and consumption, as well as taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. There are also records of a company or organization’s activities (usually over the course of a year) documenting their impact on the wider community and environment. These brands have been verified to meet high standards of social and environmental performance, as well as transparency and accountability. However, Max also recommends that consumers often need to drill down to impact reports to fully understand the scope of a business’s sustainability practices.
In addition to relying on information from coffee shops and roasters, consumers can use available resources to understand more about the actions companies are taking to improve sustainability. For example, customers can use the Less Guilty Coffee Map to find coffee shops, roasters and other social initiatives in the US, UK, Europe and Australia that are doing sustainability. This is a useful tool for those looking for more ethical and sustainable coffee businesses. The shops and roasters on this list will be B Corp certified and have sustainable practices ranging from living wages for baristas to using Heylo’s energy-efficient modular coffee machines. Moreover, this application also allows users to request to add coffee shops and roasters to the map. Suppose you visit a coffee shop and see that they are doing something that has a positive effect on the environment or the local community, you might suggest adding them to the map. However, all content will be verified, verified by Heylo and displayed only when the store meets the standards.
The sustainable consumption movement is gaining popularity. If you are looking for sustainable specialty coffee shops or roasters, check out XLIII Coffee – The brand evolved from the forerunner 43 Factory Coffee Roaster. XLIII Coffee has always operated in a sustainable way, making maximum efforts to minimize the impact on the environment and community. During operation, XLIII Coffee always seeks and selects relationships, sourcing, products, and packaging, … according to strict sustainability standards, production and product supply activities also ensure to minimize of waste and energy consumption, benefiting the environment and the community.
Source: perfectdailygrind
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