We are committed to environmentally friendly coffee and cotton-growing practices, sustainable forestry and textile production methods that do not use any environmentally hazardous chemicals.

Our lives and our economies are sustained by intact ecosystems with a rich array of flora and fauna, but also the smallest micro-organisms. Without healthy and fertile soils, insects for pollination, clean water and a stable climate, it is impossible to grow the raw materials for our coffees, textiles, furniture and household products. At the same time, the number of species on our planet that are disappearing for good is increasing at an alarming rate; according to a recent UN report, approximately a million species are currently at risk of extinction. Intensive land use – including for producing our products here at Tchibo – plays a central role in this. The loss of habitats and the animal and plant species that live there is particularly high where raw materials – such as cotton, wood or coffee – are farmed or processed. In an effort to protect ecosystems and increase biodiversity, we are therefore committed to using more sustainable farming methods, conserving water and fighting climate change. 

Focus: protecting biodiversity in our producing countries and the countries where we source raw materials 

The conversion of natural habitats into agricultural land and the pollution of soils and waters through the increased use of fertilisers and pesticides contribute significantly to the loss of habitats and the species that live there. That is why the conservation of areas worthy of protection, such as forests and floodplain landscapes, and the protection of soils and water bodies play a central role for us. In particular, we focus on the more sustainable cultivation of coffee and cotton - our two most important agricultural commodities.

Coffee and cotton cultivation

We believe it is important to minimise the use of fertilisers and pesticides to grow our raw materials in order to protect the soil, water and people. We therefore promote more sustainable coffee and cotton farming by providing sustainable products and projects in those places where these raw materials are grown:  

Specific measures we are taking:

  • We work closely with the Global Coffee Platform (GCP) in Brazil and Vietnam to ensure pesticides are used correctly and kept to a minimum in coffee growing. 

  • The WWF Water Stewardship Project in the Büyük Menderes Delta in Turkey is conducting a small pilot in the project area, using innovative irrigation techniques as well as regenerative cotton-farming methods that improve soil health and fertility.   

  • In Brazil, we promote the expansion of environmentally friendly farming practices, the cultivation of natural vegetation alongside bodies of water and the reduction of pesticides in coffee farming as part of a pilot project. 

We are also actively engaging in the topic of biodiversity through our memberships and specific working groups such as Textile Exchange, Biodiversity in Good Company and Organic Cotton Accelerator (OCA). One example is the development and piloting of the Textile Exchange Biodiversity Benchmark Tool, which enables us to better understand our impact on biodiversity and track our progress.  

Finally, we also offer our customers products that have been grown more sustainably: 

  • 19,6 % of Tchibo’s green coffee is certified under Rainforest Alliance, UTZ, Fairtrade or Organic standards.   

  • 98 % of Tchibo’s cotton comes from more sustainable sources and is certified, for example, according to the Organic Content Standard (OCS) or the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS).

Forestry

We are committed to protecting forests, because they provide habitats for 80% of the world’s terrestrial species and also play a vital role in combating climate change. Approximately half of all the carbon sequestered on the Earth is stored in forests.

Specific measures we are taking:

  • We do not tolerate illegal logging. 

  • We certify wood and paper products according to the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC®) or rely on regional forestry schemes with strict environmental standards. Already 45% of our wood and paper products are FSC® certified.

Textile production 

It’s not just the farming of raw materials and the use of fertilisers and pesticides that can result in chemicals being released into the environment; textile production can too. Find out more about the steps we are taking to protect the water near our factories and the people, animals, plants and micro-organisms that live there.