Environmental and economic sustainability assessment of the production and consumption of different types of coffee in the UK

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The need for more sustainable production and consumption of coffee has received global attention, as coffee is one of the most consumed beverages in the world. In an effort to help address this need, this study uses life cycle assessment, life cycle costing and multi-criteria decision analysis to evaluate its environmental and economic sustainability and identify the most sustainable coffee drink(s). Nine coffee drinks are evaluated: espresso, latte, cappuccino, Americano, drip-filter, coffee pod, spray- and freeze-dried instant, and instant coffee mix. To determine the sustainability of coffee from different consumption perspectives, three functional units are considered: one serving of coffee, 1 L of coffee, and 100 mg of caffeine. The system boundaries are from cradle to grave, comprising cultivation of green coffee beans, coffee production, transportation, consumption of coffee, and end-of-life waste management. The results show that the sustainability ranking of different coffee drinks changes depending on the functional unit considered. Instant coffee has the lowest environmental impacts and costs for the functional unit of one serving and 1 L of coffee, while coffee pods are the best option for the functional unit of 100 mg of caffeine. Espresso is the worst alternative for 1 L of coffee and latte is the least sustainable for the functional unit of one serving and 100 mg of caffeine. For all types of coffee and all functional units considered, cultivation of green coffee beans and milk production are the main hotspots for all impacts and costs, contributing 48–99.7 %. These findings will be of interest to the coffee industry, consumers, policy makers and other stakeholders interested in sustainable production and consumption of coffee.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)144-162
JournalSustainable Production and Consumption
Volume49
Early online date5 Jun 2024
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Sept 2024

Keywords

  • Beverage
  • Caffeinated drink
  • Life cycle assessment
  • Life cycle costing
  • Multi-criteria decision analysis
  • Sustainable food supply chains

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Environmental and economic sustainability assessment of the production and consumption of different types of coffee in the UK'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this