Businesses have an opportunity to transform the coffee break into a sustainability showcase. Creating an office coffee station with sustainability in mind not only benefits the planet but also fosters a culture of responsibility among employees. Here are some steps on how to design a sustainable office coffee station.
Promote reusable cups and drinkware
Every year, Australians use and discard around 1.8 billion coffee cups. These disposable cups litter streets, clog waterways, and create unnecessary waste in landfills.
The first step in building a sustainable coffee station is to promote reusable cups and drinkware. This will not only lessen litter around the office but also reduce landfill waste and help protect the planet.
Have reusable cups available in your office kitchen cupboards or drink cabinets. These cups are usually made of plastic, glass or ceramic, and can come in a variety of styles and colours. You can also encourage people to bring their own reusable cups or mugs. Another option is to provide each staff member with your own branded reusable cup as a corporate or staff gift
Use energy-efficient coffee machines
Now that you have reusable cups, the next step in creating a sustainable office coffee station is to use energy-efficient coffee machines with low-power modes or sleep functions.
Some bean-to-cup commercial coffee machines can be considered energy-efficient. Bean-to-cup machines grind and brew fresh beans directly into each coffee cup, using only the required amount of water. This significantly reduces electricity consumption as well as carbon emissions. Coupled with features such as low-power modes during idle periods or automatic sleep functions after inactivity, these machines can ensure substantial energy savings.
Source sustainable coffee beans
An important step in building your office coffee station is to source sustainable coffee beans. This means sourcing coffee where it is grown in an environment-friendly manner and improves the livelihoods of coffee farmers and their communities.
Sustainably-sourced coffee beans can also be certified by Rainforest Alliance, a certification program that audits coffee producers against requirements in all three pillars of sustainability: social, economic, and environmental.
Lavazza ¡Tierra!, for example, was developed in collaboration with Rainforest Alliance to improve the social and environmental conditions and production techniques of some coffee-producing communities. It offers a unique coffee experience from the land of its origin. The coffee collection is also the result of Lavazza’s commitment to fundament principles of product excellence, support and care for small communities, and respect for the planet.
Reduce coffee waste
Being able to reduce waste is a key element of your sustainable office coffee station. While using reusable cups significantly reduces landfill waste, you’re still left with some used coffee grounds that must be disposed of.
Coffee grounds don’t have to end up in landfills. They can be repurposed to be added to compost or as nutrient-rich fertilisers for garden beds. Coffee waste is a valuable resource with a range of nutrients, and can work as building blocks for planting.
Moving to a more sustainable workplace
Nowadays, most companies are focused on being more eco-friendly and achieving their sustainability targets. With Australia’s strong coffee culture in the workplace, it’s important to understand how coffee can impact the environment, and look at ways to make it more sustainable.
There are several ways to build an office coffee station with sustainability in mind - from using reusable cups to installing energy-efficient machines and sourcing sustainable coffee beans. We’ve also seen how coffee grounds can be repurposed as fertilisers to nourish garden beds.
To learn more about designing a sustainable workplace, read Lavazza’s Destination: Workplace Sustainability magazine.
