Articles about Environmental Issues

Lisa Lawson – Coffee’s sustainability journey can be supported by the B Corp framework

❖ Part of the Looking Forwards series

Dear Green founder Lisa Lawson explores how the industry can be more sustainable and why it’s not always easy having ‘green’ in your name

It just doesn’t stack up. United Baristas fact checks KeepCup’s claims about their Thermal cup.

We’ve cut our total carbon footprint by making multiple small decisions that cumulatively have had a big effect

❖ Part of the Coffee's Carbon Footprint series

Reducing coffee’s carbon footprint by tackling the energy consumption of espresso machines

When lockdown lifts to permit coffee shop trade, we should end the customer discount for reusable cups. Here’s why, how we should use the money instead, and why this is the best moment to implement this change.

❖ Part of the Coffee's Carbon Footprint series

Learning from the Boston Tea Party experience

❖ Part of the Coffee's Carbon Footprint series

Want to reduce your coffee’s environmental impacts? Milk is responsible for the majority of a cup’s carbon footprint, so lower your impacts in 2020 by making informed decisions

❖ Part of the Coffee's Carbon Footprint series

Carbon dioxide is colourless, tasteless and odourless, but it’s everywhere and causing global warming. So how do we work out how much carbon is emitted to make a cup of coffee?

Let’s be aware of our online carbon footprint, and how United Baristas is offsetting your use of our services.

❖ Part of the Coffee's Carbon Footprint series

With environmental pressures continuing to mount, United Baristas starts a series on how the coffee industry can lower its impacts.

With increasing environmental pressures, and a fast-growing user base, United Baristas has offset the carbon emissions from the use of its services.

J. Marshall Shepherd explains how confirmation bias, the Dunning-Kruger effect and cognitive dissonance impact what we think we know

How good is your knowledge about recycling? Which of these takeout coffee packaging items can actually be recycled?

We now need a massive win for the environment

Kim Elena Ionescu moderates a panel on progress – and yes, lack of – towards sustainability in the coffee industry. Get a overview of the progress to date, and a sense of the challenges that remain.

Three baristas taste-test Discarded cascara vermouth blind, and we find out more about its genesis and production from its instigator, Joe Petch

Last March we reported that Local Authorities had taken cascara for testing following the lodging of a novel food application. Last week we drunk a new cascara vermouth. So what’s been discarded?

The Environmental Audit Committee believes that a 25p levy on takeout cups would lead to a 30% reduction of takeout coffee cup use. Even with a 10x increase in reusable coffee cups, that would still reduce takeout volumes to levels that would put many coffee shops in breach of planning law. Ouch.

Back-of-the-napkin maths explains why many coffee shops would break planning law — and be forced to shut up shop.

Many consumers believe takeout coffee cups to be readily recycled. In fact, only 0.25% currently are.

How the Latte Levy, combined with other legislative changes, can tackle takeout coffee cup waste. A summary for the specialty coffee community and a response to the Environmental Audit Committee’s report, ‘Disposable Packaging: Coffee Cups’.

Environmental Issues

Lisa Lawson – Coffee’s sustainability journey can be supported by the B Corp framework

Dear Green founder Lisa Lawson explores how the industry can be more sustainable and why it’s not always easy having ‘green’ in your name

Why KeepCup can’t save the world

It just doesn’t stack up. United Baristas fact checks KeepCup’s claims about their Thermal cup.

Let’s tread more lightly on the earth: United Baristas dramatically cuts its carbon footprint while achieving record growth

We’ve cut our total carbon footprint by making multiple small decisions that cumulatively have had a big effect

Hot Stuff: How espresso machines cause global warming

Reducing coffee’s carbon footprint by tackling the energy consumption of espresso machines

Strengthening the coffee industry by eliminating the reusable cup discount

When lockdown lifts to permit coffee shop trade, we should end the customer discount for reusable cups. Here’s why, how we should use the money instead, and why this is the best moment to implement this change.

Looking at the cost and benefit to lowering environmental impacts through eliminating takeout cups

Learning from the Boston Tea Party experience

Milk Matters: Small changes can dramatically lower your coffee’s carbon footprint

Want to reduce your coffee’s environmental impacts? Milk is responsible for the majority of a cup’s carbon footprint, so lower your impacts in 2020 by making informed decisions

Calculating the Coffee Industry’s Carbon Emissions

Carbon dioxide is colourless, tasteless and odourless, but it’s everywhere and causing global warming. So how do we work out how much carbon is emitted to make a cup of coffee?

Our Digital Carbon Emissions are part of the Coffee Industry’s Environmental Impact

Let’s be aware of our online carbon footprint, and how United Baristas is offsetting your use of our services.

With so many crises, what do we focus on?

With environmental pressures continuing to mount, United Baristas starts a series on how the coffee industry can lower its impacts.

United Baristas has offset the carbon emissions from the use of its services by planting trees in the coffee producing counties of Kenya and Brazil

With increasing environmental pressures, and a fast-growing user base, United Baristas has offset the carbon emissions from the use of its services.

What shapes our ideas?

J. Marshall Shepherd explains how confirmation bias, the Dunning-Kruger effect and cognitive dissonance impact what we think we know

Not introducing the Latte Levy is a victory for common sense

We now need a massive win for the environment

Change Everything, Except the Goal

Kim Elena Ionescu moderates a panel on progress – and yes, lack of – towards sustainability in the coffee industry. Get a overview of the progress to date, and a sense of the challenges that remain.

Valuable Resources: Putting By-products to Good Use and Being Able to Navigate the Regulations

Three baristas taste-test Discarded cascara vermouth blind, and we find out more about its genesis and production from its instigator, Joe Petch

Cascara Returns to The Shelves – Infused in Booze!

Last March we reported that Local Authorities had taken cascara for testing following the lodging of a novel food application. Last week we drunk a new cascara vermouth. So what’s been discarded?

The proposed Latte Levy isn’t fit-for-purpose. Here’s how we can make it better.

Back-of-the-napkin maths explains why many coffee shops would break planning law — and be forced to shut up shop.

Wasting Less, But We’re Still Left Wanting More From The Proposed Latte Levy

How the Latte Levy, combined with other legislative changes, can tackle takeout coffee cup waste. A summary for the specialty coffee community and a response to the Environmental Audit Committee’s report, ‘Disposable Packaging: Coffee Cups’.

Your Cart