Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/641418
34 STiR tea & coffee industry international / Issue 1, 2016 (February/March) Single-Serve Sustainability A surprising life-cycle assessment ne early introduction to sustainability back in 2005 was a question about the lifecycle impacts associated with a cup of coffee. The answer was a surprise then and continues to be a surprise today. "What do you think has the biggest impact on the environmental footprint of a cup of coffee?" Is it: a.) Coffee production b.) Coffee packaging c.) Coffee brewing When the same question was asked of a room of coffee professionals attending the National Coffee Association (NCA) Summit in Austin, Tex., the room was evenly split. The answer is the brewing. Heating water uses lots of energy, so the more ef- ficiently the water can be heated the lower the environmental footprint. Processing is a close second, and packaging is a distant third. Single serve coffee machines vary but the ones that heat on demand and only heat the amount of water required by the cup have lower footprints than those on standby. Traditional brewing practices often result in move coffee than can be consumed. The wasted coffee and heated water adds to the footprint. Packaging is actually a small part of the complete footprint. Single serve packaging is larger than bulk packaging but the savings in heated water and wasted coffee more than compensate for the slightly larger footprint. That said, single serve coffee packag- ing is very popular and the packaging has gained a lot of attention from consumers -- it needs a better "next life" strategy. The Sustainable Packaging Coalition has developed a definition of sustainable packaging and a guide for sustainable packaging development. There is no one perfect solution. The guide describes three key strategies for sustainable development: The first is sourcing. Is there an opportunity to use certified fibers or recycled content? Are biopolymers an option? Certified fibers come from forests that are sus- tainably managed. Recycled fibers and recycled polymers provide markets for recycled materials and lower the environmental footprint of the packaging. The environmental savings can be very significant. Biopolymers have lower carbon footprints and they are renewable. Some biopolymers are also compostable. By Nina Goodrich O