The European Coffee Federation (ECF) says it has taken a “significant step” towards accurately assessing the overall environmental footprint of a cup of black coffee through the completion of the Shadow Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCR), specifically for the industry.
The Shadow PEFCR is aligned with wider European Union (EU) initiatives, as well as recognised international frameworks.
“This effort establishes a sector-wide approach for product-level environmental assessments while also supporting corporate reporting,” says the ECF.
“Through a consistent, science-based methodology for measuring and disclosing impacts, the coffee Shadow PEFCR helps the sector build climate resilience – an essential step to safeguarding the long-term future of coffee as it faces growing risks from climate change – and streamlines data collection for consistent reporting.
“Like many agricultural commodities, coffee’s environmental impacts occur across multiple stages – from cultivation and post-harvest processing to transportation, packaging, brewing, and end-of-life. Until now, the absence of a clear, unified methodology has limited the sector’s ability to measure, manage, and reduce its environmental impact in a harmonised way.”
The Shadow PEFCR followed a development process supported by agri-food sustainability consultants Mérieux NutriSciences | Blonk, with ECF member companies across the value chain including traders and roasters also contributing through the Federation’s working group, which had been established in 2023.
The ECF says the resulting document “outlines a comprehensive and transparent Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach to quantify environmental impacts at each stage of the coffee journey – encompassing cultivation, processing, packaging, distribution, brewing, and end-of-life”.
According to the ECF, the new guidelines provide a widely supported common standard for businesses and stakeholders across the supply chain to meet emerging EY compliance expectations.
To view the full Shadow PEFCR, click here.
