Centre for Business in Society White Paper: Seeking Sustainability in the Coffee Shop Industry: Innovations in the Circular Economy

The circular economy has been heralded as a key instrument for addressing the challenge of climate change, with its efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and reduce, reuse and recycle waste products. The coffee and coffee shop industries are acutely aware of the potential impacts of climate change given the base of their industries is a crop that is highly vulnerable to shifts in global temperatures. There is great potential for these industries to make efforts to reduce emissions, energy consumption and contribute to the circular economy, moving towards a more sustainable approach for the future. Many actions are being taken by individuals and organisations in the coffee shop industry to find ways to utilise the growing consumption of coffee and use of coffee shops to engage in the circular economy, and create more sustainable business models.
This paper outlines the principles of the circular economy, to explore why it is relevant for the coffee shop industry. It presents examples of innovations from those involved in different ways with the coffee shop industry in order to engage in a more circular economy, and presents a case for further research.