In the article, the issue of environmental sustainability criteria in the coffee sector is researched. Such important aspects in this topic are highlighted and discussed as reasons for the emergence of sustainability criteria for coffee and factors that make the production of coffee sustainable. Two widely used sustainability standards for coffee, the Fair Trade Coffee sustainability standard and the Utz Certified Coffee sustainability standard, are investigated more precisely. The environmental requirements of these standards in the form of environmental sustainability criteria, and mechanisms to control their fulfilment are outlined. The issue of control is separately highlighted, because it is considered indispensible for the constructions with sustainability criteria to function as they have been aimed for. Finally, challenges of the present situation in the coffee sector, when there is a variety of co-existing sustainability standards with approximately similar sustainability requirements are reflected upon. The article is aimed to raise interest to the potential of sustainability criteria to promote sustainable products and their sustainable production methods. In the long perspective, sustainability criteria can be used as tool to promote and safeguard sustainability, and particularly environmental sustainability, which is very urgent. The idea is emphasized that the experience of the coffee sector and central aspects of its governance approach towards sustainability can be efficiently shared by other industries with similar problematic issues, e.g. in the biofuel industry.
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