Preserving the source of life

In 2010, the United Nations voted by a large majority to expand the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to include access to clean water. This decision is yet another proof of water being essential to life on earth. Tchibo has already attached great importance to the issue of water for many years.

From plant to cup – there’s no coffee without water

Water is essential to the production of coffee for a number of reasons. The resource plays an especially vital role when it is necessary to irrigate coffee plants, and we are very careful to use the correct amount of water. We support water-saving cultivation practices in our cultivation regions in cooperation with our partners, including the Rainforest Alliance and Fairtrade organisations as well as producers of organic coffee. It is also highly important to make sure that no fertilisers or pesticides make their way into the ground water during the irrigation process.

Water is also a crucial part of processing coffee. The wet preparation of raw coffee after it has been harvested is a prime example of this. This process is used depending on the coffee’s origin, type and the further processing it will undergo. We purchase a significant proportion of washed raw coffee, for example, for our premium quality coffees. The percentage fluctuates over the course of each year and depends on the range of products and the recipes for these products.

A focal point: Water quality after processing

The amount of water used in the production of coffee depends on various factors and can vary greatly. From the perspective of critical stakeholders, it is important to approach the issue of water from two reference points: How much water is available in the specific production region in question? And what level of quality does the water have after processing? We purposefully set the main focus of our activities in each production region depending on specific regional conditions.

Sustainably produced cotton

We also use water to produce our consumer products. The amount of water used varies from product to product. Cotton production, for example, is a particularly water-intensive process. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has calculated that an average of 20,000 l of water is needed to produce a single kilogram of cotton.

We are intensifying our dedication to sustainable cotton production in cooperation with Textile Exchange for organic cotton and with the Aid by Trade Foundation for “Cotton made in Africa”. For cotton production, a list of sustainability issues is stipulated and monitored according to these organisations’ rules, especially the sparing use of water. 

Use of water at our locations

We pay attention to our use of water not just for product manufacturing, but also in our administrative functions. In 2010, we used a total of 24,866 m³ of water at our central headquarters in Hamburg. This represented a slight increase by 137 m³ compared to 2009 and an increase of 3.15 per cent compared to 2008.

We only have a small amount of information about the use of water at our shops. This is due to the fact that property landlords seldom determine the specific values for us, so this information is only available in rare cases.

Specific data about the use of water at our administration site in Hamburg are depicted in the chart.

Water consumption at administration sites (2008-2010)