Demonstrating a commitment to sustainability in the production of coffee is no longer just a moral choice; thanks to growing customer demand for coffee brands and suppliers to source in an environmentally friendly way, eco-friendly production is now a commercial imperative as well as an ethical one. In 2016, Puro Coffee made the step to become CO2 balanced ensuring that all carbon generated from coffee production; cultivation, milling, ocean shipping and roasting is carbon balance offset by REDD+.
In the wake of exposes around the damage done by unrecycled plastics and non-degradable materials, many in the industry, including the British Coffee Association, are pushing for companies to invest in technologies and methods that help reduce the footprint of coffee creation. This includes the use of biodegradable or recyclable materials in its packaging; both of which we are proud to offer with our bamboo reusable travel cups and products being made from biodegrable and compostable materials.
The drive for sustainability does not end after the coffee has been brewed, however. With the introduction of innovation and creativity, many applications can be found for used coffee grounds. An entire industry has sprung up in recent years devoted to working with coffee shops, restaurants and branded names to transport coffee waste and use it in everything from composting and insect repellent to renewable energy production and with the addition of the beauty industry, discovering the benefits of coffee ground as well the uses are endless.
Of course, one of the surest ways of improving sustainability in coffee is to better manage the resources used in its creation. Companies such as ours demonstrate a commitment to conservation by working alongside organisations like the World Land Trust; a UK-based NGO dedicated to helping companies large and small to reduce the environmental costs of industrial-scale production of beans. Coffee requires vast amounts of water and land to grow; two elements which the world is growing in increasingly short supply of. Investing money from coffee sales, as we do with our Puro Fairtrade Coffee brand, into the work of organisations like the World Land Trust is just one example of ways the industry can introduce end-to-end sustainability.