Coffee is not only one of the most popular beverages today, it is the world's second largest traded commodity after oil. While many people enjoy a cup each morning, few understand the impact coffee production has on world economies and the environment. While most conventional coffee is problematic, there are options for the conscientious consumer.

Problem One: Exploitative Labor Practices

Most of the world's supply of coffee is grown in poor countries in Latin America, Asia, and Africa. In many of the communities where it is grown, there are no other options for people to make a living. Working conditions are often difficult, with extremely low pay, no medical benefits, exposure to toxic chemicals, and long hours working in hot temperatures. Many small coffee farmers receive prices for their crops that are lower than the costs of production, which sends them into a never ending cycle of debt to middlemen (in some countries known as "coffee coyotes") who resell the coffee for export.

Due to a glut in the market in recent times, coffee prices have gone way down, which is making it even harder for coffee producers to feed their families. Even though coffee costs less money than it used to, you're not liable to see a reduction in price in your double latte at Starbucks or on a can of Folgers. In general, coffee sellers are not interested in "passing the savings along" to the consumer. In the year 2000, Folgers made the Procter and Gamble company about one billion (yes, billion!) dollars, while the average coffee farmer made $300. Many producers are choosing to risk growing coca or opium poppies instead because they just can't survive financially otherwise.

For those who do not wish to support exploitative labor practices, fair-trade coffee is available. Certified fair-trade coffee has been sold directly by producers' cooperatives rather than through profit-hungry middlemen. Fair-trade producers are also given a guaranteed minimum price for their coffee, access to credit, monitoring of working conditions, and help implementing sustainable farming methods.

Problem Two: Deforestation

The traditional method of growing coffee involves planting under a canopy of trees, which provides habitat for birds and other animals who in turn "fertilize" the soil. However, in recent years, coffee production has gone under what is called "technification" or "modernization" in which higher yielding hybrid varieties are used instead. These varieties require full sunshine to grow to their top yield potential, so the trees are cut down. Many varieties of songbirds (including ones that migrate to the US in the summer) are having a more difficult time finding habitat they can survive in. When a forest is clear-cut, it can only sustain a few years of this kind of full sun farming, and the land eventually becomes a virtual desert that will not grow back ever again. The coffee production is then simply moved to the next patch of deforested land.

Deforestation also is a problem when it comes to global warming. Tropical forests absorb much of the Earth's excess atmospheric carbon dioxide through photosynthesis, so much so that scientists refer to them as "carbon sinks." Ironically, these forests are generally cleared through burning, which is estimated to cause between 23-30% of the carbon dioxide added to our atmosphere each year. It does not take a scientist to figure out that this pattern is not sustainable indefinitely.

There are a few varieties of coffee available that address this issue, usually referred to as shade-grown or bird-friendly. This type of coffee is grown the traditional way, under a canopy of trees. This is better for wildlife, those who have to harvest the coffee, the trees, the climate, and the air that we all breathe.

Problem Three: Toxic Chemicals

Another aspect of coffee "technification" or "modernization" in recent years is the addition of toxic fertilizers and pesticides to crops. These chemicals not only pollute the environment but they are very hazardous for the workers who have to apply them, usually without protective clothing. It is also important to note that many chemicals that are banned in North America (such as DDT) are still legal in countries where coffee is produced. These chemicals not only pollute the environment and harm the workers who apply them, they are passed along to coffee drinkers worldwide.

Organically Grown coffee is produced without the use of synthetic pesticides, fungicides, fertilizers, or other chemicals. Buying organic products helps to protect the environment and your own health.

What You Can Do

Exercise your power as a consumer. While it sometimes feels futile to try and make a difference in the world, the economy is essentially driven by the purchasing choices of consumers. Being conscientious about where the products you purchase come from is one of the most important things you can do as an individual to influence positive change in the world.

Tell retailers that you want these varieties of coffee. Coffee retailers will provide whatever type of coffee consumers want. Call or write letters to the grocery stores and coffee shops where you spend money. Even Starbucks will offer organic varieties in neighborhoods where the public asks for it.

Ask your company to consider purchasing sustainable coffee for the office. Going "green" is good PR for any company, and workers will be happier with the better quality coffee. This idea is starting to catch on with some businesses, and a few municipalities have made laws requiring that all coffee purchased with city funds must be fair-trade.

Tell others about this issue. Spread the word about coffee. Talk to your friends and family, but don't preach! The idea is just to raise awareness. A few of the links below have ideas on how to get organized if you want to get behind this cause.

Where to Buy:

For those who can't find these types of coffee locally, there are many retailers of fair-trade, shade-grown, and organic coffee online. I do not endorse any specific brand.

Merchants of Green Coffee
a Canadian supplier of unroasted sustainable coffee.

Resources and further reading:

The Eco-O.K. Coffee Activist's Kit (cached)
a PDF document with more information about the importance of choosing sustainably grown coffee and how to promote it.

Fair Trade Coffee Campaign (cached)
an excellent source of news and information about fair trade coffee.

Why Fair Trade? (cached)
information about fair trade certification and what it means.

Rainforest Action Network
a site with information about what is going on with the world's rainforests and what you can do to help.

Bitter Coffee: How the Poor are Paying for the Slump in Coffee Prices (cached)
an article from Oxfam explaining the consequences of low coffee prices in coffee producing nations.

Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center: Shade Grown Coffee
information from the Smithsonian Institution about why shade grown coffee is good for the world's bird populations, which have been in decline in recent years. Includes excellent information about the impact of "modernization" on coffee production.

Northwest Shade Coffee Campaign
more information about shade-grown coffee from the Seattle Audubon society.

Organic Coffee Association
information about organic coffee from "an organization of organic coffee growers, importers, roasters, and retailers." Contains information about some of the toxic chemicals present in conventionally produced coffee.