High street chain Costa Coffee says it now plans to buy all of its coffee from sustainable sources. It will be sourcing at least 30% of beans for its Mocha Italia blend, which forms the basis of its coffee drinks, from beans certified by the Rainforest Alliance within six months. That equates to around 1,000 tonnes of 'green' coffee over the course of a year. It also aims to switch its entire coffee supply for its shops in more than 20 countries to certified farms by 2010.
Rainforest Alliance certifies farms to ensure they meet environmental and social standards including protecting biodiversity, managing forests and providing decent accommodation for workers. The scheme pays a premium above market prices for the quality produce, which ranges from flowers to tea. Rainforest Alliance, which was founded in the US 20 years ago, now certifies some 3% of the world's coffee.
Costa's Marketing Director David Hutchison said the company had chosen it out of a number of ethical certification schemes because of what it had achieved in environmental sustainability and working with communities. He said while customers were increasingly interested in where their coffee was coming from, the company had made the move because "it was the right thing to do rather than because of pressure from consumers". He said: "Costa is at the beginning of a journey towards greater sustainability in its business." The extra cost of the more expensive coffee will not be passed onto customers in the UK or elsewhere.
