Page 107 - #51 English

At present, the negative environmental impacts of waste-
water are not considered in the cost of coffee, and neither are
the economic benefits that extracting its energy potential could
bring. Newly developed processes for generating energy from
coffee wastewater also help treat the fluid by - product, helping
to ensure that it re - enters the biosphere without causing
damage. These processes essentially create a circular economy.
Latin America produces around 70% of the world’s coffee
and is home to 31% of all freshwater resources. Despite the
region’s hydric wealth - rivers, lakes and subterranean aquifers -
there are no effective national management plans for water
resources, which continuously suffer deterioration due to human
activity. In terms of energy, across the region seven million
people still have limited or no access to electricity.
In 2010, UTZ Certified, an international certification
program for sustainable agriculture, decided to implement the Biogas storage
Energy from Coffee Wastewater project in Nicaragua, Hon- organic matter. In small - and medium - sized coffee facilities,
duras and Guatemala, aiming to generate energy, tackle climate farmers were able to use the biogas created to power gas stoves
change, and protect ecosystems.
for cooking. In avoiding the release of polluted water into the
The project has been implemented in a range of differently - surroundings, odours and pests are kept at bay and the local
sized farms in which tailor - made coffee wastewater treatment biodiversity is protected. What’s more, by substituting firewood,
systems such as anaerobic reactors - commonly called bio - diges- farmers benefit from healthier indoor environments and help
ters - were installed to generate biogas by decomposition of the to reduce deforestation in their area.

At large - scale facilities the biogas is used as fuel to power de - pulping machinery, water pumps,
and for drying coffee beans.

Farmers were able to use the biogas created to power a lamp or gas stoves for cooking.

According to the WWF’s future energy scenario - which and it envisions raising awareness among coffee traders, govern-
suggests that it is possible to reach 100% renewable supply ments, NGOs, certification standards and producers about the
by 2050 - bioenergy generation not only meets the remaining need to work together in addressing the problem.
energy demand after using other renewable options but also
reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 85%. Coffee production engages over 100 million people around
the world and according to the latest Coffee Barometer the
Lessons learnt from the project have been reflected in the effects of climate change make its future totally unpredictable.
code of conduct of UTZ Certified - a set of guidelines for obtain- While making coffee sustainable triggers immediate benefits
ing a certification for sustainable agriculture - with the aim of for the people, the surrounding environment and, in the longer
promoting better practices in other coffee producing countries. term, the industry, it may not be the answer to the energy crisis.

Transforming coffee wastewater into energy is not yet an It is, however, an available solution to transform environmental
attractive business case for the farmer or for the industry since externalities into opportunities that might range from energy
it is considered to be a high expenditure without a profitable generation to better landscapes for agro tourism projects.
return on investment in the short term. For this reason, these In order to succeed, these types of initiatives must be driven
projects are currently still funded by third-parties such as the by the mutual interest of governments and all actors involved
Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs.
along the coffee supply chain. In this way, a circular economy
At the moment, UTZ Certified is looking for further funds in which waste is viewed as an asset, and natural resources are
and industry support to replicate the initiative in Africa and Asia, protected, may become the norm.
107