Coffee Statistics 

• Coffee production creates 23 million tons of waste per year. 

• Around 50 billion paper coffee cups are thrown away each year.

• 140 liters of water is used to produce a single cup of coffee.

• 26 million people work on coffee plantations every year worldwide.

• Over 2 billion cups of coffee are consumed daily globally. 

Coffee Plantations

The origin of coffee can be traced back to ninth-century Ethiopia. By the 17th century, coffee was popularized in Europe. Today, over 50 countries produce coffee, with Brazil being the top producer. The production of coffee begins with a coffee bean, which is a seed, being planted. Coffee planting is a tedious process because it takes three to four years for the plant to produce fruit. This plant produces cherries that are processed in two different methods. The first method is the dry method. In. this method, cherries dry out in the sun for three to six weeks. The dry method is used primarily in landlocked areas with little access to water, like Ethiopia, or because the weather conditions are more ideal for the dry method, like Brazil.  The second method is the wet method. This method is popular in Central and South America. During the wet process, water is used to wash off the skin and pulp of the cherry. After the washing, a layer called the mucilage is left on and must be removed via fermentation. After fermenting, the coffee is rewashed and sent to be milled. After milling the beans are graded. After grading the coffee is packaged and sold. Unfortunately, this process often involves exploitative labor.  Not only are some of these workers overworked and underpaid, but some plantations use child labor. Deforestation is common in places where coffee is grown and it is estimated that for every cup of coffee consumed, one square inch of rainforest is destroyed. 

Coffee in shops

Like coffee itself, coffee shops have a long history. The first coffee shops were opened in the Ottoman Empire. The first coffee house in London opened in 1652. the first American coffee house opened in Boston in 1676. The to-go cup was introduced to the coffee industry in 1964 by 7-Eleven. This to-go cup was made of styrofoam, which was a popular disposable coffee cup material throughout the 1970s. The coffee cup lid has an even longer history, the first drink lid, although it was only used for cold drinks, was patented in 1934. Drink lids as we know them today were designed in 1984 by Solo. The design from their "Solo Traveller TL 316 pucker-type coffee cup lid" is still being used today. This lid was originally designed for paper cups. In 1987 Starbucks was bought by Howard Schultz who decided to use the solo traveler lid, which meant the cups had to be made of paper, making them the new standard of to-go cups. Today it is estimated that Starbucks uses 8,000 paper cups per minute, these cups are not recyclable. In the 2022 Starbucks Environmental and Social Impact Report the company reported that only 1.2% of beverages sold were in reusable cups. 

Ethical Coffee Consumption 

There are several methods to be a more environmentally friendly and ethical coffee consumer. One of the easiest changes you can make to your coffee routine is giving up disposable cups and only using reusable cups. Making coffee at home has a lower carbon footprint than buying coffee from a shop. However, if you still want to buy coffee you can shop from businesses that ethically source their coffee. If you opt for at-home coffee buying coffee straight from the source is an easy way to make sure the company you're buying from has ethical and sustainable work practices. 

Further Reading and Viewing:

• A Brief History of the Disposable Coffee Cup

• Guatemala: Children as young as eight picked coffee beans on farms supplying Starbucks

• Washed Coffee Processing Explained in 90 Seconds (Video)

• Climate change food calculator: What's your diet's carbon footprint?