COFFEE STORY

8th Joint Call: COFFEE STORY

The proposal aims to advance coffee sustainability through circular economy approaches, integrating upcycling of coffee by-products, digital transformation of supply chains, and gender equality frameworks. COFFEE STORY seeks to navigate the path from beans to responsible consumption by combining technology, socio-economics, and policy innovation.
Posted on

Background

Coffee is one of the most widely consumed commodities with enormous economic, social, and environmental impacts worldwide. Climate change threatens both the productivity of coffee agro-systems and the livelihoods of farmers. Indonesia and Malaysia, major coffee-producing countries, aim to expand production and exports while addressing sustainability demands, including compliance with the EU Deforestation Regulation.

Circular economy principles can transform coffee value chains by reducing waste, lowering carbon footprints, and improving socio-economic equity. This includes reusing coffee by-products, applying digital technologies, and ensuring inclusive participation of women farmers.

The project

COFFEE STORY will:

  • Develop technologies for upcycling coffee by-products into cellulose-based biomaterials (for healthcare), oil recovery (for cosmetics/pharma), and biogas.
  • Improve supply chain management via carbon footprint analysis and blockchain technologies.
  • Establish a new extension system to empower smallholder farmers, with a focus on gender equity.
  • Apply participatory approaches to strengthen collaboration between universities, research institutes, companies, governments, and communities of practice.
  • Provide policy recommendations through a life cycle analysis (LCA) of coffee circularity outcomes.

The science

The project combines materials science, supply chain management, gender studies, and sustainability science. Key areas include:

  • Upcycling technologies to convert coffee waste into valuable products.
  • Blockchain-enabled digital tools to improve traceability and transparency.
  • Carbon footprint and LCA to measure environmental performance.
  • Gender-focused frameworks for equitable participation of women in coffee farming.
  • Multi-stakeholder participatory approaches to bridge science, policy, and practice.

The team

  • Dr. Yessie Widya Sari (Coordinator), IPB University, Indonesia
  • Dr. Samsuzana Abd Aziz, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia
  • Prof. Arif Behic Tekin, Ege University, Türkiye
  • Dr. Pelin Ilhan, PA Biotechnology Industry Trade Inc., Türkiye
  • Prof. Jutta Geldermann, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany

 

Contact

Dr. Yessie Widya Sari                 E-Mail: yessie.sari@apps.ipb.ac.id 

Tags
CIRCULAR ECONOMY