Our High-level Roadmap to 2024 Carbon Neutrality
"As stewards of delicious coffee, the growing concerns of climate change challenge us to rethink the very essence of our coffee journey and how we do business. The pursuit of the perfect cup of coffee will always be intertwined with the well-being of our planet. Embracing sustainability isn’t just a choice; it’s imperative that Blue Bottle is part of the solution if we are to ensure the legacy of a delicious cup of coffee for generations to come. Our commitment to reimagining how we do business is a reflection of our dedication to the environment, our guests, and the rich experience of savoring every sip," said Karl Strovink, CEO of Blue Bottle.
In 2021, Blue Bottle committed to carbon neutrality by 2024. A high-level greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions estimate guided early action across the business, including our oat milk default program in the US. In 2022, we conducted a full life cycle assessment (LCA) following ISO standards to calculate our baseline GHG emissions.
Based on the results of this third-party-certified LCA, Blue Bottle aims to achieve a 20 percent reduction in its GHG emissions intensity—or carbon footprint per kilogram of product sold, on the Science Based Target initiative (SBTi) scope,[1] compared to its 2018 baseline year. For unabated emissions, Blue Bottle will purchase high-quality carbon credits, including nature-based climate solutions.
Blue Bottle is on its journey to achieve the 20 percent reduction target, and designed its efforts around three areas in its leading emissions categories
Green Coffee: reducing risk of deforestation in green coffee sourcing
Cafe Operations: promoting plant-based milk consumption
Overheads: reducing commuting frequency
GREEN COFFEE
Reducing risk of deforestation in green coffee supply. Land-use change is a top contributor to agriculture emissions, which constitute around 30 percent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.[2] It is the leading contributor to Blue Bottle Coffee brand emissions in the 2018 baseline. Through third-party sustainability audits, we have been able to verify farm conditions and deforestation risk in our own coffee supply since 2018. Given our selection of suppliers through the evolution of our sourcing, Blue Bottle is reducing risk of deforestation in its green coffee supply.
CAFE OPERATIONS
Promoting plant-based milk in cafe beverages. Plant-based diets represent a major opportunity to reduce GHGs.[3] Dairy was a leading contributor to cafe operations emissions in 2018, the second largest category driving brand emissions in the baseline. By serving oat milk as the default in our US cafes and eliminating the extra charge for oat milk in Japan and Hong Kong, Blue Bottle is reducing its emissions from dairy. Plant-based milks now constitute the majority of cafes’ purchased milk compared to less than a quarter in 2018.
OVERHEADS
Flexible work models. Overheads, including business travel and commuting among other expenditures, represented the third largest emissions category in Blue Bottle’s baseline assessment. Establishing hybrid and remote work models for US office employees after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic afforded more flexibility to teams and proved an opportunity to reduce commutes, particularly emissions-intensive car travel.
“Our fundamental belief in living a continuous improvement mindset throughout our business is what drives our combined focus on quality and sustainability. Reducing emissions intensity and serving guests incredible coffee experiences in an inspiring environment are absolutely compatible with this way of thinking," said Kester Whitaker, COO of Blue Bottle.
In conclusion, Blue Bottle’s reduction target spans our global brand from coffee sourcing to end-of-life product and packaging emissions.
Blue Bottle will take actions against this goal through 2024, reporting third-party certified results in 2025.
In the interim, Blue Bottle continues to compensate for the emissions associated with shipping US e-commerce orders to guests.
[1] https://sciencebasedtargets.org/resources/files/SBTi-criteria.pdf
[2] Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), chapter 6. Creating a sustainable food system. There is no association between OECD and Blue Bottle Coffee.
[3] Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), 2019: IPCC is the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change. There is no association between IPCC and Blue Bottle Coffee.