Name of the Company: Dear GREEN

What they do:

Glasgow-based ethical coffee roasters that sell coffee on a commercial and wholesale scale. They offer training courses along with a number of coffee-house-related services, and have based their operation on the principles of strong business-supplier and business – employee relations.

What they do well: 

• Wholesale coffee supplied in reusable tubs
• Advocate not using single-use coffee cups through organising disposable coffee-cup-free events
• Amplify their sustainability efforts by also donating to several organisations with environmental and social aims
• Several socio-sustainability practices show that they consider more than just the environmental pillar of corporate social responsibility

What they could improve:

Dear GREEN are evidently playing their part in the push for business for purpose as well as profit. 

Their website is chockablock with statements explaining their social impact within Scotland as well as internationally, and this blog post explains what they have reduced their carbon emissions by:

• Using energy efficient light bulbs
• Controlling heating with programmable thermostats
• Installing modern energy saving equipment in the roastery
• Encouraging staff to travel to work via public transport

With CO₂ emissions being the most imminent of environmental challenges, as a B corps certified company, an official carbon emissions policy or reduction target would give them a complete sustainable approach to business.

What does their environmental policy say?

A dedicated ethics page instead of an environmental policy; here they detail all of their socio-environmental business practices and donations.

They adamantly state the importance of fair trade being the only way to do coffee business, and are more vocal about the social aspect of sustainability rather than environmental.

The ethics page does have a section explaining how they have reduced the amount of plastic waste produced, but practices directly aimed at reducing carbon emission are not mentioned.

What can you learn from them?

• A dual approach to sustainability: greener business practices as well as donating an amount of your profits to organisations with sustainability agendas in your product’s country of origin, can help reduce your operation’s environmental impact not only at the point of sale/service, but also at different stages of the supply chain.
• Company blog: using a blog as a dedicated area of your website to provide customers with in-depth information about your business’s sustainability efforts is a real trust builder. In this post, Dear GREEN are particularly transparent about the eco-friendliness of the packaging they currently use.

What is the cost?

• Starting at £7.95 for a 250g bag of whole beans. Their commercial prices are significantly higher than other fair trade brands like Revolver World
• Must be contacted for wholesale prices
• Competitively priced Speciality Coffee Association certified courses starting at £90