Coffee production generates a large quantity of wastewater that is regularly released untreated into rivers causing damage to local communities as well as the natural environment. A UTZ Certified project has been working to tackle this problem by generating energy from run-offs, and subsequently protecting the environment.

Since 2010 the Energy from Coffee Wastewater project has installed wastewater treatment mechanisms across Latin America. In the locations where it operates the project has reduced the amount of water used in coffee processing by half, and through the treatment of water it generated biogas, used to power households and coffee mills, and prevented the release of greenhouse-gas emissions into the atmosphere.

Han De Groot, executive director at UTZ Certified says, “Rural communities and coffee production depend intrinsically on a ready supply of fresh water. So if we want to talk about coffee produced in a sustainable manner then wastewater must be treated when released into the environment.”

UTZ Certified supports sustainable farming in the tea, coffee and cocoa industries. Until now, the project has operated in Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala, and is currently being introduced to Peru and Brazil. UTZ Certified also hopes to extend its reach to Africa and Asia. The project is currently funded by Hivos and the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs.