Choosing what to eat and drink is never easy. Pizza or pasta? Red or white? Starter or pudding? It really is a trial… and when you’re trying to be an ethical eater, it gets a lot harder.

Opting for a meat-free Monday in order to be a little kinder to the planet seems like a responsible choice. But so does choosing to switch over to almond milk, despite it potentially having a negative environmental impact of its own. With conflicting information splashed all over the internet, guidance is definitely needed.

The Sustainable Restaurant Association

The link between “the foodservice industry and the sustainable food movement”, the SRA are aiming to A) help restaurants know how to uphold sustainability best practice and B) develop a database of foodservice providers who maintain these standards.

How do they do this? By producing a clear framework for success, providing training and support, offering consultancy, and creating a community of businesses who are all trying to consider sustainability in what they do.

Why does food and drink sustainability matter?

There’s a lot that this topic encompasses. From food waste (as it’s estimated 30% of all food is wasted) and high water use (with over 80% of water use in the US related to farming), to the treatment of labourers and the complex issue of plastic packaging.

With 1 in 9 people not eating enough to live a full life, and climate change ever knock-knock-knocking at the window, it’s our responsibility to create a future where the world is healthy and the people living on it are fed. It’s essential that we take sustainability seriously - right now.

Pact Coffee and sustainability

Becoming a member of The Sustainable Restaurant Association was very important to us. Only by joining together, and sharing the wide range of knowledge different businesses have, can we hope to make a difference. And we’re pleased to be a part of that… also learning how to better our practices.

Introducing 100% recyclable pods to our range, using an energy-efficient Loring coffee roaster, teaching farmers to uphold best practice (from when and when not to use pesticides, to encouraging them to protect swathes of natural rainforest) and making sure the next generation sees coffee farming as a sensible and sustainable choice. We’ve had sustainability on our minds for a long time. Here’s to learning how to go even further.