“Center for circular economy in coffee” the first global collaborative platform for circular transition in coffee industry

(Bangalore) – At the 5th Edition of the World Coffee Conference (WCC 2023) in Bangalore, India, the first global Center for Circular Economy in Coffee, was launched. This pre-competitive platform is set to accelerate the sustainable transition in the coffee supply chain from seed to cup, promoting its principles, supporting innovation, and developing good practices that promote the circular economy in the industry at all levels.

The Center is promoted and supported by a global network of partners: International Coffee Organization (ICO), Giuseppe e Pericle Lavazza Foundation, Politecnico di Torino, University of Gastronomic Sciences (Pollenzo, Italy), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the International Trade Centre (ITC). This collaboration will help improve the environmental, social, cultural and economic sustainability of the coffee sector at large.

Established in Turin, Italy, the Center is now open to all players in the coffee value chain: Producers, MSMEs, exporters, traders, roasters and consumer-facing companies. The centre is also open to support ecosystem institutions, research and development partners and relevant civil society and international organizations at a global level. The Centre aims to provide a knowledge network and the chance to share best practices and learnings on the implementation and adaptation of pilot projects in the circular economy from seed to cup. One important goal is to support new initiatives that help accelerate the circular economy in the coffee industry, including research centres and academia, to raise awareness and propose innovative solutions. The collaboration complements and emerges from efforts to create and disseminate knowledge through ITC’s Coffee Guide and Network working group on circular economy, as well as the ICO Global Leaders Task Force groups.

Vanusia Nogueira, Executive Director ICO, Mario Cerutti, Lavazza Foundation Secretary and Lavazza Group Head of Institutional Relations & Sustainability, Gunther Beger, Managing Director, Directorate of SDG Innovation and Economic Transformation, UNIDO, and Ashish Shah, Director Division of Country Programs, International Trade Centre launched the Centre at the 5th world coffee conference.

The World Coffee Conference is the world’s only intergovernmental organization dedicated to coffee, bringing together the industry’s main players and decision-makers from over 100 countries every four years, to build a sustainable coffee industry across the entire supply chain. Held for the first time in Asia, from September 25 to 27, 2023, WCC 2023 focused on circularity under the theme “Sustainability through circular economy and regenerative agriculture”.

Quotes

‘The Circular Economy is a model for sustainability and a win-win partnership that starts with the producers. It seeks to give voice to bottom-up innovation and knowledge and integrates core tenants that we at the International Trade Centre are promoting, including sustainable and inclusive value chains, market access, zero waste, better and more responsible business, digitalization, and value addition retention and expansion at origin. With the convening power of our Coffee Guide Network, ITC is a natural partner for the Center for Circular Economy in Coffee, and we are proud to be a founding member. We will leverage the expertise and reach of our sustainable agribusiness ‘Alliances for Action’ network participants to identify and select relevant case studies and initiatives related to Circular Economy across the coffee global value chain, co-create new resources related to circular economy, and support institutions, small businesses and farmer organizations in developing ideas and know-how on sustainability projects in the coffee sector.”

Hernan Manson, Head, Inclusive Agribusiness Systems, International Trade Centre (ITC)

‘Faced with the need to accelerate the transition to the circular economy, our Foundation established in 2004, developed the idea of applying our signature multi-stakeholder collaborative approach to circularity: if on the one hand tangible action by individual players is indispensable, it is only by joining forces with all the other players in the coffee industry that we can give a real boost to the circular transition. Innovation and collaboration are the keywords driving our strategy.’

Mario Cerutti, Lavazza Foundation Secretary and Lavazza Group Head of Institutional Relations & Sustainability

For more information:

website www.circulareconomyincoffee.org 

e-mail: info [at] circulareconomyincoffee.org (info[at]circulareconomyincoffee[dot]org)