Sustainability

It all starts here. Sustainable attitudes. Relationships. Sourcing. Products. Packaging. Such a broad umbrella term should cover everything–at least, that’s what we believe. To us, sustainability carries substance, and it’s applied to every aspect of what we do.

Our sustainable actions go a long way – which our B Corp certification holds us accountable to – and we plan on going even further. Keeping track of each step we take can be found in annual sustainability reports, produced with the aim of documenting and sharing that progress with everyone.

We first set Net Zero goals as part of B Corp’s Race to Zero campaign, which was led by the B Corp Climate Collective. When B Lab discontinued the campaign in 2022, we took this as an opportunity to reassess our approach and measure our 2022 baseline carbon footprint.

We have used the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) tool to define a pathway that achieves Net Zero at Origin well ahead of 2050. SBTi is the gold standard for climate action, ensuring our targets align with limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Our commitment to achieve Net Zero emissions across all scopes well before 2050 will guide how we decarbonise our business in the years ahead.

As part of our commitment to sustainability, we are continually challenging our packaging practices to reduce the impact of our products. That’s why, as of July 2024, we made the switch to fully recyclable plastic coffee bags. 

Our new coffee bags are made from LDPE plastic, with a minimum of 70% recycled content, which can be processed as a soft plastic in Recycling Stream 4. By choosing this material, we’re returning to a more circular packaging solution that reduces the need for virgin material production, and therefore overall carbon impact. Our bags can be recycled via an established and accessible recycling infrastructure, aligning with our goal to make responsible coffee bag disposal easy and achievable for all of our customers. 

A lot of us take our coffee to go, which is why we’re committed to lowering our reliance on single-use cups and plastic, offering compostable and recyclable products across all our locations, and we’ve got our sights on taking things further still. We also sell reusable cups, offering incentives for customers who bring their own. 

At the Roastery, we offer a refill dispensary for those looking to stock up on our coffee without the packaging, either bringing in their own containers, or using a compostable paper bag to take home. When it comes to zero waste, it’s not just coffee that we’re conscious of, but the food items on offer in our coffee shops. That’s why we work with Too Good to Go, an app designed to help businesses reduce food waste, connecting consumers with unsold food surplus.

We invest in great coffee, which means investing in the way we roast it, too. We roast using Loring Smart Roast patented technology, which eliminates the need for an afterburner, and can reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by 80%. Our roasters utilise Futuria Green Gas, supporting the critical transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. We’re continually exploring innovative technologies to continue to cut gas emissions further, and locally sourced alternatives for biofuel.

We make sure that we put every effort into preventing pollution, actively working towards ever-minimising our impact on the environment.

Working with like-minded individuals and businesses are key to maintaining a responsible, sustainable vision. We’re lucky to work with exceptional farmers and producers, all committed to protecting and investing in a sustainable industry. Respecting the environment, the workers, and the crop, is crucial. We work closely to support growth, training, and opportunities that protect and develop a sustainable coffee growing practice, paying fairly, and championing quality every time.

We make sure our partnerships are with people who share our goals and mindset. From the creative and collaborative minds at A-Side, a design agency who have been part of our story from the very beginning, through to green coffee importers and exporters, Caravela, who help us source coffee responsibly, every partner enables us to do better. Without relationships like these, we wouldn’t be where we are today. 

With partnerships continuing to grow, we’re excited to nurture and maintain each and every one, sharing and inspiring our vision of treading responsibly.

Quality coffee isn’t simply about the caffeine content. When it comes to decaf coffee processes, we seek out smart, sustainable practices that respect the coffee and the environment, sourcing beans that will benefit and influence the final cup. Decaf processes often calm acidity, resulting in a well-rounded cup. 

This is why we source coffee with approachable flavours like caramel, butterscotch, and a hint of fruit, and a high enough acidity to support complex flavours. The decaffeination process reduces the coffee’s lifespan, which means we change our decaf every couple of months,  working tirelessly with coffee producers to get fresh coffee from the source, strengthening relationships and always paying the price quality coffee deserves.