Sustainable Office Coffee: 8 Ways to Make Your Workplace Coffee Routine More Eco-Friendly

Coffee fuels workplaces worldwide, but our daily coffee habits can have a significant environmental impact. From disposable cups to wasteful brewing methods, office coffee consumption often generates unnecessary waste and carbon emissions. Fortunately, making your office coffee routine more sustainable doesn’t require drastic changes—just a few simple swaps can reduce waste and support ethical sourcing. Here’s how to enjoy great coffee at work while minimizing your footprint.

1. Choose Sustainable Coffee Beans

The foundation of an eco-friendly office coffee routine starts with the beans. Not all coffee is grown or sourced sustainably, but selecting the right beans can make a big difference.

• Look for Ethical Sourcing Certifications: Coffee that is Fair Trade, Rainforest Alliance, or Bird-Friendly certified ensures farmers use sustainable farming practices and receive fair wages.
• Opt for Organic Coffee: Organic coffee is grown without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers, reducing harmful environmental impacts.
• Support Local or Small-Batch Roasters: Buying from ethical roasters—like Blended Bean Coffee—ensures your coffee is sourced transparently with a focus on sustainability.

Switching to sustainable coffee beans is one of the easiest and most impactful ways to make your office coffee more environmentally friendly.

2. Reduce Single-Use Coffee Cups

One of the biggest sources of waste in office coffee consumption is disposable cups. Millions of paper and plastic cups end up in landfills daily, contributing to pollution and excessive waste.

• Encourage Reusable Mugs: Provide employees with ceramic or stainless steel mugs to cut down on waste.
• Offer Incentives for Using Reusable Cups: If your office purchases coffee from a café, consider implementing a discount or reward program for employees who bring their own mugs.
• Switch to Compostable Cups: If reusable mugs aren’t always an option, compostable or biodegradable cups are a better alternative to traditional disposable ones.

Simply swapping single-use cups for reusable ones can significantly reduce your office’s waste output.

Learn more about how you can ditch the disposable cups in your office 

3. Upgrade Your Office Coffee Maker to a Sustainable Brewing Method

The type of coffee maker used in your office has a direct impact on sustainability. Many popular office coffee machines generate unnecessary waste through single-use pods and inefficient brewing methods.

• Avoid Single-Use Coffee Pods: Pod-based coffee makers, while convenient, create a massive amount of plastic and aluminum waste. If your office uses a pod system, consider switching to:
  • Reusable coffee pods filled with freshly ground beans
  • Compostable coffee pods made from biodegradable materials
• Opt for Energy-Efficient Machines: If your office relies on an electric coffee maker, choose a model with an automatic shut-off feature to conserve energy.
• Consider a Manual Brewing Method: If your office setup allows, using a French press is one of the best ways to brew sustainable coffee (and a personal favorite of mine!). It requires no disposable filters and produces rich, flavorful coffee with minimal waste. Pour-over coffee brewing is another great option, especially when using a metal or cloth filter instead of disposable paper ones.

Switching to an eco-friendly coffee brewing method ensures that every cup you enjoy is as sustainable as possible.

4. Minimize Water Waste in Coffee Preparation

Water is a critical resource in coffee brewing, and reducing water waste is an essential part of sustainability. Here’s how to use water more efficiently:

• Only Boil the Water You Need: Heating excess water wastes energy and resources. Encourage employees to measure out just the right amount for their brew.
• Use Filtered Tap Water Instead of Bottled Water: This reduces plastic waste and avoids the unnecessary production and transportation of bottled water.
• Reuse Rinse Water: Instead of dumping water used to rinse coffee equipment, repurpose it for watering office plants.

Being mindful of water consumption helps reduce both waste and energy usage in your office coffee routine.

5. Make Sustainable Choices for Milk and Sweeteners

The milk and sweeteners added to office coffee can also impact sustainability. Consider eco-friendly alternatives to reduce waste and carbon emissions:

• Choose Plant-Based Milk: Oat milk and soy milk are more sustainable than almond milk (which requires significant water to produce) and have a lower carbon footprint than dairy.
• Opt for Organic or Local Dairy: If your team prefers traditional milk, choose organic or locally sourced options to support sustainable farming practices.
• Use Natural Sweeteners: Instead of heavily processed white sugar, consider fair-trade organic cane sugar, local honey, or maple syrup as sweetener alternatives.

Simple ingredient swaps can make your office coffee habit even more eco-conscious.

6. Compost Used Coffee Grounds Instead of Throwing Them Away

Discarded coffee grounds often end up in landfills, but they can be repurposed in sustainable ways:

• Start a Compost Bin: If your office has a communal kitchen or outdoor space, consider composting used coffee grounds instead of tossing them in the trash.
• Donate Coffee Grounds for Gardening: Some community gardens or farms accept used coffee grounds as a natural soil enhancer.
• Use Coffee Grounds for Odor Control: A container of dried coffee grounds can absorb odors in office kitchens or break rooms.

Composting or repurposing coffee grounds keeps waste out of landfills and benefits the environment.

Learn more about composting your coffee at work and at home

7. Support Sustainable Coffee Brands & Roasters

Beyond changing daily habits, another powerful way to make office coffee more sustainable is by choosing brands that prioritize environmental responsibility.

• Look for Roasters Committed to Sustainability: Some coffee companies, like Blended Bean Coffee, focus on ethical sourcing, eco-friendly packaging, and sustainable roasting methods.
• Buy Coffee in Bulk: Reducing packaging waste by ordering in bulk helps cut down on unnecessary materials.
• Choose Carbon-Neutral or Regenerative Coffee: Some brands go the extra mile by offsetting carbon emissions or practicing regenerative farming to improve soil health.

By being mindful of where your office sources its coffee, you support businesses that align with your sustainability goals.

8. Educate and Involve Employees in the Sustainable Coffee Movement

Creating a sustainable office coffee culture isn’t just about making changes—it’s about getting everyone on board. Some ways to promote eco-friendly coffee habits include:

• Hosting a Sustainable Coffee Tasting Event: Introduce employees to ethical and sustainable coffee brands through an office coffee tasting.
• Providing Educational Materials: Share tips on sustainable brewing methods and responsible waste disposal.
• Encouraging Green Office Initiatives: Consider making sustainable coffee choices part of a larger eco-friendly office effort.

The more engaged employees are, the easier it will be to make sustainable coffee practices a permanent part of your workplace. We've even made a super easy to use GIF that you can send your co-workers in Slack to make sure they know that you see them trying to help the planet!

Small Changes Add Up to a Big Impact

Sustainability doesn’t require giving up great coffee—just making better choices in how it’s sourced, brewed, and consumed. By switching to ethically sourced beans, reducing waste, choosing eco-friendly brewing methods, and encouraging mindful consumption, your office can enjoy coffee in a way that benefits both people and the planet. Every small change contributes to a larger movement toward more sustainable coffee habits, making the workplace a greener, more responsible space.