The Coffee Circle Economy Center (C4CEC) has released its highly anticipated annual booklet, detailing the center’s impactful activities and achievements throughout 2024. This comprehensive report highlights C4CEC’s mission to integrate circular economy principles into the coffee sector, emphasizing sustainability, collaboration, and innovation as key drivers for change.

Throughout 2024, C4CEC has emerged as a global platform connecting coffee industry stakeholders—from farmers to multinational enterprises—while fostering knowledge-sharing, advancing research, and implementing sustainable solutions. Headquartered in Turin, the center has established itself as a vital hub for promoting circular economy practices across the coffee value chain.

The booklet reflects a year of remarkable achievements, including C4CEC’s active participation in eight major international events, such as the World of Coffee in Copenhagen, the ICO Global Leaders Forum in London, and the SCA Expo in Chicago. These events provided critical opportunities to present research, share best practices, and explore innovative solutions to the pressing sustainability challenges facing the coffee industry.

A significant highlight of the publication is the introduction of an interactive map showcasing 23 innovative practices within the coffee supply chain. This map, which features diverse strategies such as waste repurposing, community empowerment, and sustainable business development, serves as a testament to the groundbreaking efforts being adopted to redefine the sector’s approach to sustainability.

C4CEC’s collaboration with academic institutions like Politecnico di Torino and Raffles Milano has also been pivotal. Through these partnerships, students have undertaken projects addressing key challenges in coffee sustainability, including promoting local consumption in Kenya and developing innovative uses for coffee by-products. These initiatives reflect the center’s commitment to empowering the next generation of sustainability leaders.

The report sheds light on the staggering volume of biomass generated globally by coffee production—approximately 41 million tonnes in 2022-2023. This figure underscores the immense potential for transforming coffee waste into valuable products and energy sources, which can simultaneously lower production costs and create new income opportunities for farmers.

In addition to celebrating its achievements, C4CEC’s booklet outlines ambitious plans for 2025. These include publishing three annual reviews of best practices to provide stakeholders with actionable insights, expanding pilot projects to regions such as Asia and Central America, and strengthening collaboration through webinars, workshops, and global events. Furthermore, the center aims to establish a dedicated global fund to support investments in circular practices, ensuring financial sustainability for its initiatives.

C4CEC’s membership has grown significantly, now encompassing over 50 organizations across 18 countries and six continents. This diverse coalition includes small and medium-sized enterprises, multinational corporations, public institutions, academic bodies, and non-governmental organizations, all united in their dedication to transforming the coffee industry through circular economy principles.

Vanusia Nogueira, Executive Director of the International Coffee Organization, praised C4CEC’s efforts, stating, “By repurposing ‘waste’ into new products and alternative energy sources, we can unlock significant income opportunities while lowering production costs. We encourage all coffee stakeholders to join this platform and work towards a resilient, inclusive, and sustainable coffee sector.”

The annual booklet not only celebrates the progress made by C4CEC in 2024 but also serves as a call to action for the global coffee community. It invites all stakeholders to embrace circular economy practices and collaborate toward a sustainable future for coffee. For more information about the center and its initiatives, visit www.circulareconomyincoffee.org.