Transforming Coffee and Cocoa in Panama: Reduce Tu Huella National Program - Products
In the delicious coffee and cocoa industry of Central America, where the quality and flavor of the products are known worldwide, there is a constant challenge: the climate-environmental impact.
RTH field stage - Products. © Euroclima
Therefore, it is essential to involve the industrial sector to improve its processes by managing its greenhouse gas emissions for the development of a sustainable, low-carbon and climate change resilient economy.
This is where Panama's Reduce Tu Huella (RTH) National Program comes in to play an important role. It is a state tool for managing the carbon and water footprint at the organizational level in the Republic of Panama, and becomes an ally of companies.
The RTH - Products pilot process helps coffee and cocoa producing organizations to measure and reduce their emissions, and to implement the country's climate goals.
Thanks to the information provided in this pilot, companies can now make better and more conscious decisions regarding their production, which also becomes a competitive advantage for the companies in the regional and international market.
Cacao Mayamei field visit inPanamá. © Euroclima
Reduce Tu Huella and its work in the field
The companies provided valuable information on the stages of their production chain, which made it possible to calculate the emissions generated in each one. Thus, it was possible to determine the amount of CO₂ generated by each kilogram of coffee or cocoa.
As part of the process, the team visited the companies to learn about their practices and verify the information they initially provided.
With this information, the program carried out a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) focused on carbon footprint, which provided useful information for them to identify which part of their chain generates the most emissions, and thus make climate-responsible decisions.
RTH is a guide for decision-making, but it also helps the Panamanian domestic market to strengthen its brands, optimize its processes, improve its profitability and consolidate its environmental contribution.
Café Eleta field visit in Panamá. © Euroclima
The program included an exchange of experiences and a discussion forum on environmental labeling in Panama, between the Environmental Performance Verification Directorate of Panama's Ministry of the Environment (MiAmbiente) and Costa Rica's Ministry of the Environment (MINAE), and an exchange of experiences between Panama's National Accreditation Council (CNA) and the Costa Rican Accreditation Body (ECA).
These events led to the conclusion that Costa Rica's eco-labeling experience is an important benchmark for Panama, and identified the need to strengthen its quality system and infrastructure.
RTH is co-organized by the German Development Cooperation (GIZ) through the ACCIÓN Clima project; financed by the International Climate Initiative (IKI), the Euroclima program; financed by the European Union and the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) of Germany, together with the Ministry of Environment of Panama.
- Country: Costa Rica, Panama
- Project:
- Contact:
Mónica Schmidt Jiménez
