Costa's commitment to sustainability acknowledged by SRA

Costa, the Whitbread-owned coffee shop chain, has become the first café brand to win a two star sustainability rating by the  Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA).

Costa was particularly praised for sourcing a wide range of ingredients from British producers, its seasonal sourcing policies and waste management practices – both key areas for focus across the hospitality industry.

Sandy Gourlay, corporate responsibility manager commented: “Costa is deeply committed to our corporate responsibility programme. From the recent announcement of the launch of our new apprenticeships programme to our ongoing work to reduce waste across the business, we are always seeking to reduce our environmental impact and maximise our investment in our people and wider sustainable practices.

“We are delighted to have been recognised by the SRA for this ongoing work and we would encourage other coffee businesses to follow our lead in this area. There is so much good work going on in the café sector that we feel it is important for coffee shop operators, no matter how large or small, to be able to be recognised by their customers for their work in sustainability. The SRA rating system helps make it clear.”

Mark Linehan, md of the SRA, added: “We developed this programme in answer to public demand for cafés to be more progressive and not simply rely on the ethical certification of their coffee as enough to demonstrate their sustainability.

"Costa demonstrated great leadership by becoming the first café group to join the SRA. Now it can proudly boast that it’s also walking the sustainable walk by putting its whole operation under the microscope - not just in terms of the coffee it sources, but also its proactive approach to its social and environment impact. Costa has shown that it is possible for major operators to excel, and we would urge others to drive sustainable innovation in the industry.”