Environment & Climate
Biodiversity
Intact ecosystems with a diversity of animals and plants, as well as the smallest microorganisms, form the foundation for our life and economy. Healthy and fertile soils, insects for pollination, clean water, and climate regulation enable us to cultivate the raw materials for our coffee, textiles, furniture, and household products. At the same time, the number of species disappearing forever from this earth is increasing at alarming speed; according to a recent UN report, approximately one million species are currently threatened with extinction. Intensive land use, including for the production of our products at Tchibo, plays a significant role in this. The loss of habitats and native animal and plant species is particularly high in areas where raw materials such as cotton, wood, or coffee are cultivated or further processed. To protect ecosystems and increase biological diversity, we focus on more sustainable cultivation methods, water, and climate protection.
You can read how we define sustainable land use in our agricultural policy.
Focus: Protecting biodiversity in our Countries of origin and production
The conversion of natural habitats into agricultural land and the pollution of soils and water bodies through the increased use of fertilizers and pesticides contribute significantly to the loss of habitats and species living there. Therefore, the preservation of valuable areas such as forests and floodplains and the protection of soils and water bodies play a central role for us. We especially focus our activities on more sustainable cultivation of coffee and cotton, our two most important agricultural raw materials.
Coffee and cotton cultivation
To protect soils, water bodies, and people, it is important to us that the cultivation of our raw materials involves as little use of fertilizers and pesticides as possible. Therefore, we promote more sustainable cultivation of coffee and cotton with farm projects in the countries of origin:
Concrete measures in coffee cultivation:
- Reforestation of permanent protected areas in Brazil
- Cover crops, shade trees, and the protection of water bodies, like in Brazil and Vietnam
- Transition from monoculture to intercropping, like in Brazil, Honduras, and Tanzania
- Sustainable pest control, like in Brazil, Vietnam, and Colombia
- Training on sustainable farming practices in all our country programs
Concrete measures in cotton cultivation:
- Support for farmers in the transition from conventional to organic cultivation
- Avoidance of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, as well as genetically modified organisms
- Training on sustainable farming practices
Sustainable Products and Material Standards
Finally, we offer our customers products from sustainable cultivation. How we define sustainable products and what this means for our product categories is summarized in our strategy.