Recent years have seen major players in the coffee industry redouble their efforts to enhance sustainability throughout their value chain. From creating the world’s first round of regenerative coffee to making commitments to achieve 100% traceability in sourcing, a ripple effect is being seen throughout the sector.
It’s a direct response to the many challenges and opportunities being presented to the industry — one in which climate change is a major factor.
“Rising energy costs and stricter environmental standards urge the industry to implement sustainable practices, which will enhance the energy efficiency in production and distribution, and minimise the environmental footprint, while meeting consumer expectations and maintaining product and service quality,” Coffee Island CEO Konstantinos Konstantinopoulos told Global Coffee Report earlier this year.
Established in 1999, Coffee Island is a Greece-based coffee franchise specializing in coffee roastery and café operations. Today it has expanded to become one of the most prominent chains in the country, with over 500 stores across the Middle East, UK, Canada and Europe. Its focus on delivering high-quality coffee has won it numerous awards, including the 2022 Best Coffee Chain and 2021 Gold Franchisor of the Year.
Reports show that Coffee Island is just as committed to ensuring sustainability throughout its business operations. Indeed, the company was the first Greek coffee franchise to issue a sustainable development report in 2023.
“We understand the vital role businesses play in creating a sustainable and equitable world,” Konstantinopoulos was quoted saying. “For Coffee Island, social responsibility is not stagnant, but a path that leads to a better and more sustainable future.”
Here, we explore the major coffee chain’s ventures to enhance sustainability across its value chain, looking into areas such as sourcing, packaging and waste management.
Coffee Island: Sustainability across the value chain
A large part of this has been working with farmers to cultivate sustainable practices in coffee cultivation. Working with microfarms is part of this; in Nicaragua, the company has engaged with a family farm that practices sustainable, environment and human-friendly methods of doing so.
Another resides in Cusco, Peru, where a group of small farmers engage sustainability values on their coffee plantations. According to Coffee Island, maintaining the natural landscape is a priority as the flavor profile is shaped by the local soil and ideal environmental conditions. Sustainable organic production practices are regularly employed, leading to the production of a variety of 100% Specialty Arabica.
Packaging is another important area on Coffee Island’s radar. “Plastic waste, primarily from packaging, is a growing threat to nature and the environment and a waste of resources, calling for a greener, circular economy based on waste avoidance and recycling,” said Konstantinopoulos.
In this, Coffee Island has begun distributing zero-waste edible coffee cups in its stores. The edible Gofretti Cups are biscuit-based wafers, which are completely vegan and contain low calories — an ideal way to bridge the growing consensus for healthier options and more sustainable packaging.
The company is further looking to reduce its waste generation by investing 400,000 Euros in Coffe-Eco, a startup to promote cycle economy projects. Here, the two companies are set to create the first industrial unit in Southern Europe to process and reuse espresso coffee residue.
These will be used to create new raw materials for the dermo-cosmetics, energy, furniture and agriculture sectors. Coffe-Eco estimates that 50 tons of coffee residue from Coffee Island shops will be completed in its first year of operations. This will approximately account for around 9 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
“People demand the responsible and ethical operation of businesses, but even more so, their social and human role,” said Konstantinopoulos. “Companies have to plan actions that contribute to sustainable development and social solidarity, while ensuring a relationship of trust between the company and employees, the local community, and the wider community.”
