2022 in Review

When I was asked to review our sustainability achievements in 2022 and introduce the final articles in our e-zine series this year, I didn't realise how quickly the page would fill up.

Much of our work has been already publicised but worth remembering: the launch of Peak & Wild sustainable coffee; the introduction of Espresso Warehouse plant-based milk alternatives; our investment in the John Muir Trust and the John Muir Award; our 4th year of achieving the Carbon Neutral International Standard; and our celebration of 25 years of Fairtrade.

It has been our pleasure to receive the praises that followed, from being named the Glasgow Green Champion by the Chamber of Commerce and receiving the Highly Recommended title in the Footprint Drink Awards, to being runner-up in the European Coffee Awards for Most Sustainable Brand, and winner of the Coffee Roaster of the Year. More importantly, the most gratifying and humbling outcome is the impact of the initiatives (some of which have been shared in previous editions).

Of course, these projects are just a few examples of a bigger effort going behind the scenes. A huge and challenging body of work is currently underway. We are measuring and reducing our carbon footprint across our entire business operations to become net zero by 2040, ten years ahead of the Scottish government requirement. Amy's article explains how we're going about it and why carbon emissions reduction is so important.

Earlier this year, our Head of Coffee Sourcing, Estelle, visited Peru to strengthen the long-term relationships that we believe so strongly in. This was our first post-COVID origin visit so extremely important to us. You can read about Estelle’s trip, and why these relationships matter.

As part of our 25 Years of Fairtrade celebrations, we hosted two webinars with representatives from farming communities and heard directly about some of the issues facing coffee producers today. Don't worry if you missed them, the recordings can be found in this edition and are worth listening to. Supporting Fairtrade for 25 Years is no small feat, especially when you can hear the positive impacts first hand.

It's worth mentioning that we have challenged all our teams to make sustainability pledges, and in our final article our graphic designer Steffi Griffin highlights some of the ways in which marketing materials can be produced more sustainably.

This is just a flavour of what we have been working on, and we look forward to sharing with you our full Sustainability Report and Net Zero plan early in the new year, as well as our next set of community engagement initiatives - at both farm and local level.

I hope you enjoy these pages and, on behalf of everyone at Matthew Algie, I wish you a very Happy Christmas and Sustainable New Year!