Coffee consumption around the world is estimated at about 173 million 60kg bags a year, or roughly two billion cups a day.
The International Coffee Organisation forecasts that in 2023-2024, consumption will rise to 177 million bags.
But just what does the world’s seemingly insatiable demand for coffee mean for the environment, and in particular biodiversity, given that the crop is often grown on land that was once forested?
The speciality coffee brands, they like to talk a lot about sustainability, but they do very little on the ground
Sander Reuderink,
founder and CEO of Carble
According to the Coffee Barometer 2023 report, produced by an initiative supported by Conservation International, over the past two decades an average of 130,000 hectares of forested land a year has been converted to coffee production.
Aside from the impact this has on biodiversity, this deforestation has also released the equivalent of about 45 million tonnes of carbon dioxide each year.
A big issue for sustainability is whether the coffee plants are grown as a single crop or are mixed in with trees that provide shade, a practice known as agroforestry.
According to the Coffee Barometer, agroforestry can, among other things, store carbon and promote biodiversity, and so replicates, at least to a limited extent, the benefits that forests bring.
Agroforestry, thanks to the shading and the microclimates it creates, is also more resilient than single crop plantations to temperature increases.
Growing in harmony
Few have looked into the sustainability of coffee more closely than Sander Reuderink, a Dutch former coffee roaster and trader who is the founder and chief executive of Carble, which analyses land-use changes – such as the conversion of forests to plantations – and develops incentives to encourage farmers to grow more sustainably.
Mr Reuderink said coffee “can be grown in perfect harmony with nature”.
“That’s what we see in Ethiopia,” he said. “The first time I visited a coffee farm in Ethiopia, I didn’t know what I was looking at, because I had expected to see neat rows of trees like on a coffee farm in Brazil, but I was looking at a forest.
“I asked the farmer to explain to me what was going on, what I was looking at. He explained, ‘This is how we’ve been growing coffee for generations. This is how coffee should be grown.’
“But in other countries coffee is grown in a monoculture without the use of shade. Especially the transition from forests to new plantations is hugely problematic from an environmental perspective. That land-use change is one of the biggest components.
“Another really big component is the use of fertilisers and pesticides, which have a very large carbon footprint.”
A widespread perception might be that smallholders, who account for an estimated 80 to 90 per cent of coffee production, grow their coffee more sustainably than large-scale producers.
Mr Reuderink said, however, that the opposite is often the case, while adding the caveat that smallholders are “a very diverse group”, so practices vary widely.
“The assumption that I always had was that industrial farms or larger farms would produce in a monoculture, while smallholders would do more agroforestry. Surprisingly this was not always true,” he said.
“For example, in Ethiopia, we’ve actually seen much healthier shade cover with the larger plantations than with the smallholders.”
Sustainability is also influenced by the extent to which native forests were felled to allow for the growing of coffee and, if so, how long ago this happened.
While indicating that efforts to achieve sustainability vary between coffee companies – Nestle and Starbucks tend to come out better than most in its surveys – Coffee Barometer said many companies did not address the issue themselves, but instead “placed the responsibility on suppliers to ensure deforestation-free coffee”.
“Very few roasters have policies that meet best-practice requirements,” the 2023 report said. “While some individual companies may be performing better than others, our Coffee Brew Index reveals that most companies are not yet taking the action necessary to fulfil the existing sector commitments in addressing social and environmental risks.”
The larger, the better?
Mr Reuderink said that, in general, larger coffee companies were more focused on achieving environmental producers than their smaller counterparts.
“The mainstream companies, the larger companies, they typically have a much more advanced climate strategy than the small-scale speciality segment. The speciality coffee brands, they like to talk a lot about sustainability, but they do very little on the ground,” he said.
Commercial coffee production largely originated in Ethiopia, but one of the other early producers was Yemen, which has grown coffee commercially since the 15th century.
Coffee is also grown in Saudi Arabia, which has more than 400,000 Arabica coffee plants, according to reports, and plans for big increases.
In 2022, the Saudi Coffee Company was founded to help develop the sector in the country. Its production, mostly by smallholders and local farmers, is concentrated in the south-west of the country.
Dr Abdullah Bokhari, the sustainability and quality, health, safety, security and environment director, said that the company was currently assessing its overall sustainability, including efforts to reduce deforestation and deal with carbon dioxide emissions.
Scheduled to take about two years, this work will cover farming, manufacturing and distribution.
Current measures include having irrigation systems that rely on solar power instead of diesel pumps, while a factory will be solar powered and designed to achieve green building certification.
“Additionally, we have used green materials in compliance with regulatory requirements, and have adopted waste-reduction practices for our farming and factory operations,” Dr Bokhari said.
On the ground
For consumers, selecting a coffee on environmental grounds may not be easy. One approach is to look for certifications.
“There’s lots of different certifications out there – fair trade or sustainable coffee – but these are very patchy,” said Mark Maslin, a professor of earth system science at University College London.
He recommends that consumers purchase “quality coffee” because with this, he said, it is more likely that farmers will have been paid a fairer price.
“It won’t make much difference to [the price of] your coffee, but it will make a huge difference to the farmer and the industry,” he said.
Mr Reuderink said not all environmentally sustainable coffee was certified as such and, when looking for more sustainable coffee, he said he made his selection based on geography.
The Coffee Barometer 2023 report does not have figures for Ethiopia, but for Brazil it states that five per cent of coffee-growing hectares are shaded, while in Vietnam the figure is 25 per cent, in Colombia, 39 per cent, in Indonesia, 60 per cent, and in Honduras, 80 per cent.
“I choose based on countries, such as Ethiopia, that I know grow more of their coffee in agroforestry, because that’s more sustainable,” he said.
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
GYAN’S ASIAN OUTPUT
2011-2015: Al Ain – 123 apps, 128 goals
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2016-2017: Al Ahli (loan) – 25 apps, 11 goals
RACE CARD
5pm: Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Racing Festival Purebred Arabian Cup Conditions (PA); Dh 200,000 (Turf) 1,600m
5.30pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Cup Conditions (PA); Dh 200,000 (T) 1,600m
6pm: Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan National Day Cup Listed (TB); Dh 380,000 (T) 1,600m
6.30pm: Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan National Day Group 3 (PA); Dh 500,000 (T) 1,600m
7pm: Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan National Day Jewel Crown Group 1 (PA); Dh 5,000,000 (T) 2,200m
7.30pm: Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Racing Festival Handicap (PA); Dh 150,000 (T) 1,400m
8pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 100,000 (T); 1,400m
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The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: BorrowMe (BorrowMe.com)
Date started: August 2021
Founder: Nour Sabri
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce / Marketplace
Size: Two employees
Funding stage: Seed investment
Initial investment: $200,000
Investors: Amr Manaa (director, PwC Middle East)
'Spies in Disguise'
Director: Nick Bruno and Troy Quane
Stars: Will Smith, Tom Holland, Karen Gillan and Roshida Jones
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Dunbar
Edward St Aubyn
Hogarth
PRO BASH
Thursday’s fixtures
6pm: Hyderabad Nawabs v Pakhtoon Warriors
10pm: Lahore Sikandars v Pakhtoon Blasters
Teams
Chennai Knights, Lahore Sikandars, Pakhtoon Blasters, Abu Dhabi Stars, Abu Dhabi Dragons, Pakhtoon Warriors and Hyderabad Nawabs.
Squad rules
All teams consist of 15-player squads that include those contracted in the diamond (3), platinum (2) and gold (2) categories, plus eight free to sign team members.
Tournament rules
The matches are of 25 over-a-side with an 8-over power play in which only two fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle. Teams play in a single round robin league followed by the semi-finals and final. The league toppers will feature in the semi-final eliminator.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
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Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
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- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
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THE BIO
Mr Al Qassimi is 37 and lives in Dubai
He is a keen drummer and loves gardening
His favourite way to unwind is spending time with his two children and cooking
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Stage 4 Dubai to Hatta, 197 km, Road race.
Overall leader Primoz Roglic SLO (Team Jumbo - Visma)
Stage winners: 1. Caleb Ewan AUS (Lotto - Soudal) 2. Matteo Moschetti ITA (Trek - Segafredo) 3. Primoz Roglic SLO (Team Jumbo - Visma)
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The Apple Card looks different from a traditional credit card — there's no number on the front and the users' name is etched in metal. The card expands the company's digital Apple Pay services, marrying the physical card to a virtual one and integrating both with the iPhone. Its attributes include quick sign-up, elimination of most fees, strong security protections and cash back.
What does it cost?
Apple says there are no fees associated with the card. That means no late fee, no annual fee, no international fee and no over-the-limit fees. It also said it aims to have among the lowest interest rates in the industry. Users must have an iPhone to use the card, which comes at a cost. But they will earn cash back on their purchases — 3 per cent on Apple purchases, 2 per cent on those with the virtual card and 1 per cent with the physical card. Apple says it is the only card to provide those rewards in real time, so that cash earned can be used immediately.
What will the interest rate be?
The card doesn't come out until summer but Apple has said that as of March, the variable annual percentage rate on the card could be anywhere from 13.24 per cent to 24.24 per cent based on creditworthiness. That's in line with the rest of the market, according to analysts
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The physical card has no numbers so purchases are made with the embedded chip and the digital version lives in your Apple Wallet on your phone, where it's protected by fingerprints or facial recognition. That means that even if someone steals your phone, they won't be able to use the card to buy things.
Is it easy to use?
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* Associated Press
At a glance
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Fighting with My Family
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Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Nick Frost, Lena Headey, Florence Pugh, Thomas Whilley, Tori Ellen Ross, Jack Lowden, Olivia Bernstone, Elroy Powell
Four stars
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Centre Court
Starting at 2pm:
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Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) v Belinda Bencic (SUI [4]
Not before 7pm:
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Court One
Starting at midday:
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Sorana Cirstea (ROU) v Anett Kontaveit (EST)
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The specs: Macan Turbo
Engine: Dual synchronous electric motors
Power: 639hp
Torque: 1,130Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Touring range: 591km
Price: From Dh412,500
On sale: Deliveries start in October
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
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Infobox
Western Region Asia Cup Qualifier, Al Amerat, Oman
The two finalists advance to the next stage of qualifying, in Malaysia in August
Results
UAE beat Iran by 10 wickets
Kuwait beat Saudi Arabia by eight wickets
Oman beat Bahrain by nine wickets
Qatar beat Maldives by 106 runs
Monday fixtures
UAE v Kuwait, Iran v Saudi Arabia, Oman v Qatar, Maldives v Bahrain
