Sustainability is a hot topic. Requests for sustainable products are happening all over the country. Interestingly, a product with a positive environmental image effects affects consumer taste buds.
In a study published in PLOS ONE, an international, peer-reviewed publication for scientific research, participants were given two cups of coffee to taste. One cup was identified as eco-friendly coffee. After tasting the two cups, participants were asked which coffee they preferred. Of the 44 participants, 61 percent preferred the eco-friendly coffee. Many were also willing to pay more for it, even though it was revealed that the cups held the exact same coffee
Fair Trade and Rain Forest Alliance
The research implies that Fair Trade and Rain Forest Alliance certified coffees are in demand by a majority of consumers. They are available in bulk, frac pack and single cup options from a variety of roasters and suppliers.
Sustainable single cup
For U.S. consumers, single cup coffee is among the fastest growing segment. According to the Automatic Merchandiser State of the Coffee Industry Report, in 2012 to 2013, more than 20 percent of the office coffee market was using single cup brewers. But can they be “green”?
Keurig brewers dominate the industry making the K-Cup® a very popular single serve option. While Fair Trade coffee is available as a K-Cup®, some claim the product is not environmentally friendly as the cartridge is disposable and not recyclable. Green Mountain Coffee Roasters has done a Life Cycle Assessment of the K-Cup® and found that the most significant environmental impact of the K-Cup® are associated with production and packaging, the use phase and the coffee cultivation phase. The End-of-Life (EoL) is only a small part of the K-Cup® pack life cycle, representing only 5 percent of green house gas emissions. EoL represents only 1 percent of the energy demand. In fact, GMCR has found that the K-Cup® brewing system uses less energy in an office environment than a traditional batch brewing system. This translates into reduced environmental impact in all categories over the entire life cycle.
But there are other single cup alternatives. The UpShot Filter, a prepacked cartridge that works in K-Cup® style brewers, is composed of 100 percent polypropylene, which makes it recyclable with other No.5 plastics. There is also the KiennaKup Re-Usable Pod Adapter, a reusable adapter that works in single-cup brewers using biodegradable coffee pods.
Pods offer alternatives
Probably the most notable environmental single cup system is a pod. The material used to contain the coffee is minimal and some are made with biodegradable filter paper. Coffee pod brewers have evolved in recent years, producing a consistent quality coffee with minimal maintenance issues.
Operators across the country are looking at “green” coffee solutions because as a service provider, they must offer more than what the customer expects. Environmentally friendly options in coffee service are a way to do just that.
