Planboo’s Climate Projects Lead, Dr. Ruy Anaya de la Rosa, has co-authored a peer-reviewed paper in Food and Energy Security exploring how biochar can decarbonise and strengthen the resilience of coffee’s supply chain. The takeaway? Coffee has much more potential than we’ve been giving it credit for. Here’s why:
Every day, more than a billion people start their morning with a cup of coffee, perhaps you do too. Behind this ritual are 12.5 million smallholder farmers in more than 60 countries, whose livelihoods depend on coffee cultivation, and our shared love for it.
But over the past year, rising prices have revealed just how vulnerable coffee is to extreme and shifting weather patterns. Left unaddressed, these climate impacts could devastate both the global coffee industry and the farming communities that nurture it.
And while coffee is highly exposed to climate change, it is also a big contributor to it. In fact, coffee is among the most carbon-intensive beverages, responsible for around 90 million tons of CO₂ each year.
To secure the future supply of coffee, the industry must address both sides of this challenge.
Where coffee’s emissions come from
- Synthetic fertilisers
May account for over 50% of emissions linked to coffee production. Not only is their manufacture highly energy-intensive, but once applied, they also release nitrous oxide (N₂O), which is nearly 300 times as potent as CO₂ at heating the atmosphere.
- International transport
Shipping green beans across continents can account for more than 70% of the footprint of a cup of coffee consumed in Europe. - Processing and consumption
Beyond farming and transport, roasting, brewing, and common additions like milk and sugar can almost triple coffee’s footprint.
Biochar’s role in decarbonising the coffee value chain
The paper, co-authored by Ruy together with Brenton Ladd, Gerard Cornelissen, Erlend Sørmo, Roberto Ortiz, and Nils Borchard, highlights three practical ways to cut coffee’s carbon footprint while creating value for farmers and industry alike:
1. Turning coffee agricultural waste into biochar
Coffee processing generates large volumes of waste, such as the bean’s parchment skin. Instead of throwing it, this biomass can be transformed into biochar through pyrolysis. Doing so could lock away around 185,000 tons of CO₂-eq every year – roughly the same as the emissions from producing more than 50 million cups of coffee.
2. Using biochar to produce organic fertilisers
Coffee cherries (the pulp and skin) are often dumped, polluting waterways and releasing methane. By mixing them with parchment biochar, they can be composted into a nutrient-rich fertiliser. This reduces reliance on synthetic fertilisers, cutting another 66,000 tons of CO₂-eq annually, while improving soil health and crop resilience.
Also, shipping green beans across the globe is another major source of emissions. By roasting coffee in producing countries before export, the sector can cut transport emissions by about 2.7 million tons of CO₂-eq annually, all while creating new jobs and keeping more value at origin.
Combined, these three measures could neutralise nearly 3 million tons of CO₂-eq each year, moving coffee a significant step closer to climate neutrality.
A win-win scenario where greenhouse gases are mitigated and livelihoods improved
The real beauty of biochar isn’t only in its ability to pull carbon from the air, but in the way it makes life fairer on the ground. Waste becomes something useful, farmers spend less on expensive synthetic fertilisers, new income streams open up, and resources are better managed. At the same time, companies move closer to true climate neutrality. What’s not to love about that?
Read the full paper here, the perfect pairing with your morning cup.
Congratulations to the authors on this important contribution to building a more sustainable coffee sector.
Curious what biochar could mean for your business, your people, and the planet? We’d love to chat.
