London, UK – A recent investigation by charity The Civet Project Foundation, supported by international animal welfare organization Wild Welfare, has revealed widespread fraud and serious animal welfare concerns in the online sale of civet coffee on major eCommerce platforms.
Civet coffee, also known as kopi luwak, is a luxury product made from coffee beans that have passed through the digestive tract of civet cats, small nocturnal mammals native to Southeast Asia. However, the investigation paints a much darker picture of the origins of this coffee and the market behind it.
The surge in global demand for this unique coffee, especially after its appearance in the 2007 film The Bucket List, has turned it into a multi-billion-dollar industry. However, instead of collecting beans from wild civet droppings as often claimed, producers are now capturing wild civets, confining them in dirty barren cages, and force-feeding them coffee cherries under harrowing conditions.
According to The Civet Project, these animals suffer immensely in captivity, with wild civets being caught using inhumane methods, suffering severe injuries, and being confined without proper care, biosecurity, or veterinary oversight. This not only violates animal welfare standards but also poses a significant public health risk, as civets have been identified as potential vectors for diseases such as SARS and COVID-19.
Aside from the animal cruelty concerns, the environmental cost is also severe. Civets play a vital ecological role as seed dispersers and pest controllers, and their removal from the wild is contributing to biodiversity loss and environmental degradation across Southeast Asia.
The investigation, detailed in the newly published “Industry Leaders Report 2025: Tackling Civet Coffee Consumption (eCommerce)”, found that every civet coffee product claiming certification from named organizations for being ‘wild collected’ or ‘cage-free’ was either fraudulent or untraceable. Sellers also falsely claimed certification from organizations such as WWF, Rainforest Alliance, and World Animal Protection, all of whom confirmed no affiliation with civet coffee.
Furthermore, claims of ethical sourcing or animal welfare standards were found to be fraudulent or untraceable, violating UK consumer protection laws, including the CMA Green Code and the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024. The investigation also revealed that the consumer standards, animal welfare, environmental, and sustainability issues associated with civet coffee products actively breach seven platform policies employed by eBay, Amazon, and Etsy.
Despite having clear policies against misleading claims, all three platforms were found to be hosting sellers in breach of their own rules, highlighting a serious enforcement gap.
Dr. Jes Hooper, CEO of The Civet Project Foundation, said, “UK consumers have shown time and again that animal welfare is an important consideration when deciding what products to buy and from whom. The weaponization of animal welfare to purposely deceive consumers into purchasing products reliant on animal suffering is absolutely despicable. The public deserves much better from coffee retailers and eCommerce platforms. We strongly urge people to boycott civet coffee.”
The scale of the issue is alarming, with over 182 kilograms of civet coffee available for sale on UK-facing eCommerce sites between May and August 2025. Despite its supposed rarity, some products were listed for as little as £15.67 per packet.
In response to the multitude of policy violations involved in the sale of civet coffee, The Civet Project is calling on Amazon, eBay, and Etsy to immediately classify civet coffee as a prohibited item and to ban its sale on their platforms. The charity is also urging consumers to boycott civet coffee this Christmas and beyond.
The Civet Project Foundation, established as a Charity Incorporated Organisation in 2023, is the only charity in the world solely dedicated to civet species protection. The organization aims to protect wild civets from exploitation in the coffee, meat, and exotic pet trades through research, education, and policy reform grounded in the One Health framework.
For media inquiries, interviews, or further information, please contact:
jes@thecivetproject.com
www.thecivetproject.com
Wild Welfare is a global organization committed to improving animal welfare for captive wild animals. By uniting the world’s leading zoos, zoo associations, and animal welfare organizations, they build trusting partnerships that help provide long-term solutions to critical wild animal welfare issues.