Author’s Note: This is the fifth item in a series of articles that touch on the subject of sustainable practices in Costa Rica. There is a high degree of innovation and street smarts involved in sustainability; if you happen to know of a good sustainability tip, please feel free to share it with The Costa Rica Star.

In a previous article, The Costa Rica Star looked at The Economics of Organic and Shade-Grown Coffee in Costa Rica and the various eco-friendly certifications for coffee cultivation, from the strict “Bird-friendly Coffee” to Starbucks’ proprietary CAFE standards. All certifications instilled a certain degree of sustainability, but they did not specifically address the carbon footprint left by coffee’s cultivation, roasting and packing process.

A new unique certification was obtained by the Cooperativa de Caficultores de Dota (Coopedota), a coffee farming collective that represents 800 coffee growers in the Santa Maria del Dota Valley. The certification earned by Coopedota last year was granted by the British Standards Institution (BSI) under their own PAS2060 standard for carbon neutrality. Coopedota was the first coffee producer in the world to receive the certification.

To earn recognition from BSI, Coopedota first measured the greenhouse gas emissions they were producing in the following processes:

• Production
• Processing
• Transportation
• Sales

Coopedota then set out to reduce their carbon footprint as much as possible. The residual carbon emissions they could not eliminate were compensated either functionally or monetarily. Coopedota started working in 2009 with EARTH University, until they could come up with a coffee worthy of the coveted EARTH brand label. They also sent a representative to the UN Climate Change Conference so that she could learn and bring back information on achieving carbon-neutrality.

It is estimated that the coffee industry in Costa Rica generates about 10 percent of the country’s output of carbon emissions, and thus reduction thereof has taken center stage. It was not easy for Coopedota to achieve the carbon-neutral certification, in fact it was probably costly, but it has been worth it.

Independent third-party verifier Carbon Clear conducted the inspections on all of Coopedota’s beans. All aspects of the production processes were considered, from fertilizers down to the retail packaging (which features 100 percent biodegradable properties).

The recognition that Coopedota has received for its efforts has paid off. The coop has been recognized by tourism publication Lonely Planet as one of the best places in Costa Rica to visit and enjoy coffee in. The 2010 World Barista Champion, Michael Phillips, chose to use Coopedota’s roasts. They were even visited by the former president of Germany.

At a time when coffee producers are seeing their profits cut by speculative action in the world’s commodities exchanges, Coopedota’s effort in achieving carbon-neutrality is commendable.