Java Mountain Coffee, a Jakarta-based social enterprise advocating for sustainable coffee farming, has called on the hospitality industry in Bali to avoid using plastic and aluminum coffee capsules in a bid to reduce pollution.
Coffee capsule usage has grown five times faster than growth in coffee consumption globally between 2011 and 2016, Java Mountain Coffee said, citing a 2017 study by Euromonitor International.
The firm said this is not sustainable, because used capsules usually end up in landfills, rivers and the ocean. Java Mountain Coffee said the used coffee pods also contribute to climate change, especially the plastic ones, which release harmful substances into the environment when exposed to sunlight.
“Java Mountain Coffee’s response to the recent commitment by the global travel industry to reduce its reliance on plastics and other harmful environmental products, is to stop the use of plastic and aluminum coffee capsules,” the firm’s spokeswoman, Nadine Alexandra, said in a statement.
“We believe the Bali travel industry collectively can lead the world in environmental responsibility, reversing old uninformed historical human behavior, which has caused irreversible damage to our planet,” she said.
Java Mountain Coffee participated in an environmental event titled “Act Local, Impact Global,” hosted by Alila Resorts Bali last week. The island hotel industry organized the event in response to a commitment by the global travel industry in June to reduce the use of plastic and other harmful waste products.
At least 50 hotels, members of the Bali Hotel Association and other travel industry stakeholders attended the event to share their environmental initiatives.
Among these initiatives is “Komitmen” by One Island One Voice, a Bali-based network of organizations active in the field of waste prevention and management. The initiative calls on individuals, organizations, companies and government offices on the island to separate organic and inorganic waste at the source and to stop using single-use plastic straws, plastic water bottles, plastic retail bags, plastic cups and plastic cup lids.
“Java Mountain Coffee urges all stakeholders to join us and make a commitment to One Island One Voice’s ‘Komitmen’ initiative,” the firm said.