Office Coffee Company saves 26,000 tonnes of CO2

The Office Coffee Company, which provides ‘ethical’ beverages and coffee machines for office staff, has released its annual assessment of savings, which quantifies both the number of trees and tonnes of CO2 emissions that each of its client has saved.

Together, the Company’s customers have saved more than 24,000 trees in the past twelve months by indulging in over 178,000 cups of sustainably-sourced coffee.

Explaining the business model, the Office Coffee Company’s managing director Richard Doherty told edie: “We have a firm belief in creating a sustainable business where the commitment to the environment is greater than ‘skin deep’. From the start, we have been committed to Cool Earth, the Rainforest Charity helping to protect the rainforest and keeping carbon where it belongs.”

Taste and sustainability

Each client’s CO2 impacts are calculated based on products purchased – for every ‘Cool Earth’ item sold, the Office Coffee Company works out how many trees are prevented from illegal logging. For example, a 500g tub of Instant Coffee protects five rainforest trees. The Company keeps a record of this and produces an annual report and certificate for all customers. “The reports prove to be invaluable to an organisation’s own CSR reporting,” added Doherty.

“Over 90% of our online shop products are Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance or Organic. By choosing our products businesses not only can be assured that their tea and coffee has been carefully sourced but they will also have a positive impact on the environment, an improvement employee satisfaction, taste and sustainability.”

The Office Coffee Company is now entering its fourth year of business and has been experiencing year-on-year sales growth of 40%, with many larger businesses such as BPE, Hazlewoods and Good Energy as customers.

Earlier this month, edie reported that coffee giant Costa had joined a campaign to encourage broader sustainability in British restaurants and cafés, going over and above the provenance of tea and coffee.

In association with the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA), Costa’s Beyond the Beans campaign will grade restaurants and cafés on sourcing of beverages, volume of disposable items, and efficiency in energy, waste and water. Read more here.

Luke Nicholls