How To Make Your Coffee Space More Sustainable
With sustainability becoming an ever-growing issue across all industries, hospitality faces no exception. In the UK alone, the sector is responsible for up to 15% of total green house gas emissions, with a large proportion coming from the coffee industry.
According to Allegra's World Coffee Portal, "the majority of UK hospitality businesses have made sustainability a higher priority in 2022, with 84% having undertaken at least one action to improve their environmental impact since the international COP26 climate summit in November 2021".
It's clear that sustainability will be crucial to the future of the industry as we go into 2023 and beyond. Here are a few ways you could consider making your coffee space more sustainable:
1. Recycle your coffee grounds
The UK consumes around 95 million cups of coffee per day, which means tonnes and tonnes of waste coffee grounds are created. Most of the coffee grounds you throw away end up in landfills, which contributes to the already monumental amount of greenhouse gases such as methane generated. By recycling your grounds, you'll divert them away from landfills, create circularity in the chain and can even help generate green energy.
2. Start a reusable cup scheme
Every year, Britain gets through 2.5 billion coffee cups – with only around 1 in 400 actually being recycled, this means the vast majority end up in landfills. The WWF forecasts that by 2030 the UK is set to use 33% more cups than it does now. A reusable cup scheme is a great way to offset the waste produced by single-use coffee cups. Not only could you save on the cost of purchasing cups, you can also incentivise customers with discounts as part of the scheme and build loyalty. It's a win-win.
3. Choose a sustainable coffee supplier
When choosing a coffee supplier, there are a few factors to consider such as quality and taste, reliability and increasingly important, the values and ethics of the company. The key question to ask yourself is, what do you hope to achieve through working with your chosen supplier? Offering a traceable product, increasing your operational sustainability and elevating your coffee experience?
These areas are all important to us at Alpaca Coffee, for example, we supply our coffee in reusable packaging delivered via cargo bikes or electric vans to help our clients cut waste and their carbon offset. We also ensure we supply the best and most suitable, traceable coffee for their space. Whoever you choose to work with, by ensuring they align with your own values means you will be able to offer the best coffee experience to your end coffee drinkers.
Need some help?
Want to improve sustainability in your coffee space? We were recently named by BBC Good Food as the 'best environmentally friendly coffee'. Our team can help you make the right decision when it comes to sustainable coffee in your business, from the right product range and equipment, to implementing more eco-friendly practices.
About Alpaca Coffee
We're on a mission to make coffee better for everyone. The people who farm it, roast it, pack it, buy it. We're the ones asking the awkward questions. Like why isn't this packaging plastic free? Or how can this coffee be sourced better?
We’re never afraid of going against the grain if its for the right reasons. If that means a little bit of extra hard work then so be it. We aim to pioneer in new directions to be at the cutting edge of coffee, sustainability and beyond.
We’re proudly a female-founded company. What started as a trip to South America for our founder Victoria, turned into a quest to serve delicious coffee. When she started Alpaca Coffee, it was her mission to create a company that reflected the changes she wished to see in the world.
