Despite positioning themselves as sustainability pioneers, coffee roasters generally fail to adequately fund their sustainability commitments or harmonize them with their day to-day business operations, reveals the first Coffee Brew Index.

The eleven largest coffee roasters (Nestlé, Starbucks, JDE Peets, Tchibo, Lavazza, Melitta, M. Zanetti, UCC, Strauss , J.M.Smucker, KraftHeinz) generally have overarching goals to engage in sustainable activities, but are typically non-transparent on the results of these initiatives, and provide little evidence of comprehensive, measurable and time-bound strategies. Five of the major roasters continue to rely on ad hoc and one-off projects and investments that are not necessarily connected to a larger strategy across social, environmental, and economic pillars, and focus primarily on improving efficiency and coffee quality.

The Coffee Brew Index, launched with the 2023 Coffee Barometer, examines the sustainability policies and commitments of major coffee roasters, rather than their activities on the ground. It notes a general deficiency in effective strategies and reporting, which will inevitably hinder the ability of coffee companies to address sector challenges, thereby impeding social and environmental progress within supply chains.

Read more here: Coffee Brew Index