# Coffee: Emissions

The surprising carbon cost behind every cup

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/coffee/emissions/

What this tab covers The greenhouse-gas footprint of the commodity at a global level, split by lifecycle phase: extraction (or farming), refining and processing, movement, usage, and recycling or end of life. Intensities are per unit of product; the global total combines intensity with world output. Also covers other environmental impacts and the main levers to cut emissions. Emission intensity 16.5 kg CO2e per kg range mean about 28.5; very wide spread between farms · global supply-chain breakdown from a meta-analysis of about 38,700 farms; the mean is higher because high-emission farms skew the distribution Global emissions per year 186 Mt CO2e per year 2024 · 11.28 Mt green coffee x 16.5 kg CO2e/kg (calculated, indicative; treats green-coffee weight as the product weight)

Per kg of coffee as sold (cradle-to-retail, including land-use change and packaging, excluding brewing). Intensity: Poore & Nemecek 2018, Science, via Our World in Data (indicative). Global total: FAOSTAT 2024; Poore & Nemecek 2018.

#### Share of footprint by lifecycle phase
 Extraction 86% Refining / processing 13% Movement 1%

#### Footprint by lifecycle phase

| Phase | Intensity | Share | Main sources of emissions | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Extraction** | about 14.1 kg CO2e/kg (farm 10.4, land-use change 3.7) | 86% | nitrogen fertiliser and field N2O, conversion of forest to sun coffee | Shade-grown and agroforestry farms usually sit at the low end. | Poore & Nemecek 2018 via OWID (indicative) |
| **Refining / processing** | about 2.2 kg CO2e/kg (processing 0.6, packaging 1.6) | 13% | wet-mill wastewater methane, drying fuel, roasting gas, packaging | Packaging is larger than roasting in this breakdown. | Poore & Nemecek 2018 via OWID (indicative) |
| **Movement** | about 0.2 kg CO2e/kg (transport 0.1, retail 0.1) | 1% | container shipping of green beans, trucking | Santos to Hamburg is about 10,000 km; at 10-20 g CO2 per t-km by container ship that is 0.1-0.2 kg/kg (calculated), consistent with the breakdown. | Poore & Nemecek 2018; calculated (indicative) |
| **Usage** | not included in total; can be large | – | electricity for brewing and keeping coffee hot, milk | Kettles, espresso machines and hot plates can add substantially where power is coal-based; milk can add more than the coffee itself in milky drinks. | qualitative (indicative) |
| **Recycling / end of life** | not quantified | – | spent grounds sent to landfill emit methane; capsules and packaging waste | Soluble plants burn spent grounds as boiler fuel; composting avoids landfill methane. | content_v2 coffee methods (byproducts) |

#### Other environmental impacts

Deforestation for sun-grown expansion; the EU deforestation regulation covers coffee. Wet processing pollutes rivers with pulp and wastewater if untreated.

#### Levers to cut emissions

- Right-size nitrogen fertiliser, the largest source at farm level (10.4 of 16.5 kg CO2e/kg)
- Shade and agroforestry systems that store carbon and avoid forest conversion (land-use change 3.7 kg CO2e/kg)
- Treat wet-mill wastewater to avoid methane
- Lighter or refillable packaging (1.6 kg CO2e/kg in the breakdown)
- Efficient brewing: boil only the water needed and avoid hot plates

#### India

About 70% of Indian coffee grows in Karnataka under shade trees with pepper and other intercrops, a system that stores carbon and avoids forest conversion. Indian yields are low (robusta 1,239 kg/ha, arabica 452 kg/ha), which raises emissions per kg where fertiliser is used (Coffee Board of India; USDA FAS Mumbai 2026-27).
 Emission figures are indicative global averages from the life-cycle studies named; actual footprints vary widely by site, energy mix and method.

## Other sections

- [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/coffee/index.md)
- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/coffee/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/coffee/correlation/index.md)
- [Extraction](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/coffee/extraction/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/coffee/production/index.md)
- [Stocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/coffee/stocks/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/coffee/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/coffee/trading/index.md)
- [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/coffee/movement/index.md)
- [Criticality](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/coffee/criticality/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/coffee/characteristics/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/coffee/links/index.md)