Climate change is destroying the world’s coffee regions. According to the Climate Change Institute, the amount of land suitable for growing coffee could drop by as much as 50 percent by 2050, and by 2080, wild coffee could be extinct. One small thing each person can do is to choose sustainably-sourced coffee beans, and McDonald’s McCafé is making that choice easier. The chain is on track to sustainably source 100 percent of its coffee served globally by 2020.
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McDonald’s McCafé Will Have 100 Percent Sustainable Coffee by 2020
“We know many people enjoy coffee as part of their daily routine, and, at McDonald’s, we are taking meaningful steps to support farmers protecting it from climate change,” Townsend Bailey, the director of US supply chain sustainability at McDonald’s, said.
McDonald’s first announced its sustainable coffee goal in 2014. As of November 29th, 2018, nearly 85 percent of McCafés in the US serve sustainably-source coffee, and 54 percent of McCafés worldwide do. It’s partnering with organizations like Rainforest Alliance, Conservation International, Solidaridad, COSA, and Fair Trade to get both those numbers up to 100 in the next two years. It’s also helped train around 20,000 farmers on sustainable practices.
McDonald’s isn’t the only chain boosting its sustainable coffee cred. Dunkin Donuts built a house powered entirely by recycled coffee grounds in October, and Starbucks will have recyclable lids at all its locations by 2020.
“For people to enjoy coffee in the future, we need to do our part to take care of it now,” Raina Lang, the director of sustainable coffee markets at Conservation International, said.
To mark its sustainability efforts and help educate others, McDonald’s is hosting a pop up in Chicago’s Pioneer Court on Thursday, November 29th. Dubbed the McCafé Sustainable Coffee Journey, the pop-up will be held in an indoor dome and replicate a South American coffee farm with farmers and information on how climate change impacts coffee. 