Authors: Kurniawan Arif Maspul & Kayondo Nathan Moga
Corresponding Author: Kurniawan Arif Maspul, kurniawanarifmaspul@gmail.com
Citation: Maspul, K.A., Moga, K.N. (2021). Biodegradable Coffee Bag Use in Increasing the Coffee Roastery Sustainability in the United Arab Emirates. Academia Letters, Article 3826. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL3826
The coffee sector business in the United Arab Emirates is prevalent, especially with the latest ideas about enjoying coffee from single origins brought from direct farms, specially grown in Africa, Southeast Asia, and South America. Many coffee connoisseurs will always follow the development of the coffee chain, which can be found through coffee shops and roasteries. Coffee consumers become coffee fans who enjoy coffee as a daily booster routine that helps complete daily activities (Maspul, 2021b).
From selling coffee from roasted coffee beans to instant coffee that is ready to drink, the production process is one of the crucial processes that must also be considered in promoting sustainability. This has become essential since sustainability has become a goal for the upstream supply chain and downstream, one of the more significant coffee value chains. As a seller who has the concept of thinking about buying, looking for high profit at a low cost, it's certain rarely think about sustainable coffee packaging. Sustainability in packaging can be considered in maintaining the environment, one of the three bottom legs of sustainability. At the same time, it becomes an amplifier in promoting the economy and society through the sale of coffee core products (Maspul, 2021a).
The United Arab Emirates, as one of the countries that promises sustainability in many sectors, is an option in seeing how coffee production has a pretty good impact in promoting sustainability in the specialty coffee sector. This paper takes a sample of the coffee roastery population that uses biodegradable plastic bags to encourage their coffee products in the regional coffee market. The author uses interviews and observations as the methodology of this paper, which is summarized qualitatively (Ghaljaie et al., 2017; Reeves et al., 2008).
Plastic Problems in the Coffee Value Chain
As one of the main elements in a product, plastic is the most commonly used thing in making a product available for purchase from sellers to consumers. In addition, the use of plastic generally creates an image of the brand from the final product sold to consumers, both from cosmetics, food to medicinal products. However, this plastic also makes the industry unsustainable, with post-use products from consumers that will become non-recyclable waste. More and more plastic waste accumulates worldwide and will cause a negative impact that will become a problem in the next generation (Farmer, 2013; Lewis et al., 2010).
As stated by the UN that 5 trillion single-use plastic bags are used worldwide every year. 300 million tons of plastic have been used every year, which can even be equated with the weight of the human population on earth (Excell, 2019). Half of all plastic produced is designed to be used only once and then thrown away. As an alternative to meet human needs, a solution in product packaging is needed that makes the final product sustainable for consumption by the end of the supply chain (MacArthur, 2017; Walker, 2018).
Biodegradable Coffee Bags
Biodegradable plastics, which have long been developed since the early 1980s, have been widely used and have many functions for human needs; besides, the material is easy to obtain and cheap. Biodegradable since its use is widely used by humans, it is the basis for three chemical classes used; namely, the first is a mixture of polymers and additives that are easily consumed by microorganisms. The second is a synthetic polymer, with a susceptible group susceptible to hydrolysis attack by microbes. The third its existence has been known for more than 50 years. As a result, biodegradable polymers are beneficial in medical, agricultural, and packaging in the final product sale (de Moura et al., 2017; Huang et al., 1990).
Likewise, with coffee consumption currently the livelihood of people globally, making it a daily consumption has become a household necessity, specifically in the United Arab Emirates. Making coffee a daily condition in the United Arab Emirates has made coffee roasters spread across seven Emirates as producers producing these mass needs. In this case, the coffee roaster contributes to adding plastic waste, so a sustainable way of thinking is needed that makes this local need not an environmental problem for the next generation.
In practice using biodegradable coffee With these bags, several coffee roasters in the United Arab Emirates have used types of plastic that are easily recycled to support the environment for a greener and more sustainable future. In using biodegradable in product packaging, some use biodegradable plastics in packaging, including agro-wastes, bamboo or wood pulp. Each has a role in making the packaging of coffee products sustainable (Lee & Wang, 2006; Mathew et al., 2005). Some coffee roasters take biodegradable packaging through orders from other countries, with the addition of labels, either printing from production or using stickers from their own production. Green packaging also includes the production of instant coffee and paper cups, which help make products to consumers more biodegradable after their use to promote sustainability at the environmental level. From the discussion, several explained the importance of producing coffee with biodegradable or recyclable packaging.
Sustainability in Production Sales of Specialty Coffee
In discussing sustainability in coffee production, here, of course, it cannot be separated from the three bottom legs of sustainability, namely economy, social and environment. Developing a business will not be accessible in issuing costs for production; of course, a reasonable supply chain calculation will encourage the company's sustainability principle (Maspul, 2021a). In the United Arab Emirates itself, there are currently developing many coffee roasteries since the last five years, where these developments are driven not only by consumer needs in consuming coffee but also trends in the idea of specialty coffee. Regardless of status, various levels of society in the United Arab Emirates like new things, especially with the concept of specialty coffee becoming a unique style in enjoying sensory from multiple origins. Not even a few have specialty coffee machines in their homes.
Economically, the United Arab Emirates's trend can be used as a strong market in making specialty coffee production the top-level trend after oil and tourism. On another story, specialty coffee in the United Arab Emirates has also become one of the world's destinations for developing specialty coffee. This magnet between producers and consumers can be a decisive factor in the massive development of specialty coffee production and a hub in the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) and other countries to promote artisan roasting from the United Arab Emirates. Making it socially has a positive impact on the development of business turnover from products that will not be consumed.
In the specialty coffee and roasting process towards sustainability, the producer considers many things necessary, which is concluded in the discussion. One of them is consistency in the roasting process, which uses digital logs to record curves in each roast to even sales. However, few pay attention to the environmental impact of the final product, such as the use of biodegradable coffee bags. Because it returns to the needs of many lives but can be consistent in the maintenance and protection of nature by making green production included in the packaging. In addition, it can manage waste and the needs of the coffee roasters themselves in increasing sales, each of which has economic, social and environmental ties (Magnier et al., 2016; Ponte, 2004).
The solution does not only belong to the coffee roastery in increasing its coffee sales, but also to the social and environmental aspects, which become a cycle that cannot be separated from bringing togetherness in the solution. Branding using Go Green packaging certification will positively impact selling products, support the environment, and build consumer confidence in buying products that are ultimately safe (Jedlicka, 2009; Magnier et al., 2016). Several discussions from consumers and coffee roasters themselves in the use of eco-friendly packaging agreed that supporting sustainability at the level of specialty coffee production would be the best value to support the future of specialty coffee as one of the necessities of life for many people. Raising awareness in protecting the environment, including sustainability at the environmental level, will reduce waste significantly and make this packaging lessen the number of ordinary plastic products that will pollute the environment.
Conclusion
With the existence of sustainability in production which is of interest to the needs of many people, it should be in producing food that sustainability is one of the goals of its sales. In this case, coffee has become one of the livelihoods of many in the United Arab Emirates, although it was found that there were a small number of coffee roasters who made biodegradable plastic bags as a source of energy is one of the production needs in supporting sustainability. With the number of coffee roasters as many as 26 spread across the United Arab Emirates, of course, not many use biodegradable as a material for their production that supports sustainability both socially and economically on a massive scale. However, it is hoped that through sustainability branding in coffee, the products sold can help the coffee value chain environment be sustainable in all its lines.
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