Hidden Cost of
Coffee
We drink 1.3 Kilos of coffee every year, with 2 billion cups enjoyed daily around the world. But what’s the impact of that?
A Closer look in to Coffee Manufacturing
More than 90% of coffee exports come from developing countries such as Brazil, Vietnam, Colombia, and Mexico. There is evidence of labor exploitation within coffee production in these countries. Due to the multipart process of creating coffee, retailers have a harder time tracking ethical labor practices.
- Producing coffee requires a considerable amount of water. On average, it takes about 140 litres of water to produce a single cup of coffee, accounting for various stages including cultivation and processing.
Deforestation remains to also be an issue in these countries, as production continues to increase. Brazil, one of the biggest coffee producer continues to expand its sun-grown coffee plantations. Over 75% of coffee in the world is considered “sun-grown,” this is because the coffee beans grow faster being exposed to direct sunlight as compared to being grown in traditional shaded rainforests. Due to this reason, coffee production is the leading driver of deforestation between the years 2001 and 2023, over 2 million acres of forest were cleared for coffee farming in Central America.
Labor Exploitation
For coffee to be produce it demands a lot of manual labor to keep up with the extensive care that is needed for growing in sun-grown coffee plantations. Often times, workers are exposed to hot temperatures and dangerous agrochemicals.
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Children ages 5 to 17 in Vietnam cultivate coffee, an estimated amount of 34,131 child laborers from a report in 2012.
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Guatemalan workers often have to harvest 100 pounds’ worth of coffee in order to receive just $3.00 a day.
- For most coffee farmers, less than 2% of the retail price goes to their hard work.
