This study examined the current coffee production and processing system in Costa Rica in order to maximize its sustainability through cost and risk reductions and identification of new opportunities. A two-year field investigation was carried out, assessing resource, energy and water uses, characterizing by-products, and evaluating training, management and industry structure, with the aim of identifying opportunities for the implementation of cleaner production and industrial ecology strategies. It was observed that the application of industrial ecology and cleaner production strategies have been implemented in piecemeal and have not been widely accepted by the industry at large. The coffee production system in Costa Rica does not encourage the practice of environmentally sustainable methods within production or processing, and does not encourage the exploration of niche markets that rewards higher-valued coffee in terms of quality or socio-environmental consciousness. Changes in industry throughput, operational design, and management attitudes are needed to ensure sustainability within the industry. A number of opportunities for maximizing the sustainability of the coffee industry exist through: (a) strategic application of cleaner production, (b) effective use of resources, (c) alternative use of by-products, (d) efficient operational design, (e) training, (f) application of environmental management systems, (g) changes to industry structure, (h) a thorough understanding of stakeholder concerns, and (i) understanding the perceived barriers to sustainability.;In order to address the broader issues of sustainability of agro-industrial systems, various types of sustainability were highlighted and current sustainability frameworks were evaluated. A multi-criteria sustainability evaluation methodology was developed to take into consideration the various types of sustainability within industrial systems. The developed composite sustainability index (CSI) model is a management tool primarily focused on the requirements of managers and farmers of industrial systems. To induce a change towards more sustainable production, the stakeholders have to be first aware of the factors that should be considered and then how these factors can be influenced by their decisions and practices. The CSI proposed here integrated all factors: environmental (both biophysical and chemical), economical, social and institutional. Using this methodology, the sustainability of three different coffee production systems were then evaluated to determine the usefulness of the methodology as a tool for industry stakeholders to better understand (and therefore implement) holistic sustainability strategies.
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