Nespresso 'Ecolaborates' With Rainforest Alliance

If, like many people, you have something of a reliance on caffeine, Nespresso is doing what it can to at least make you feel less guilty about buying their brand. Well, from an environmental perspective, that is.

According to this Ethical Corporation article, the premium coffee brand for Nestle has promised to source four out of every five of its beans from farms certified by the Rainforest Alliance by 2013. These farms must meet strict social and environmental standards. Nespresso has been working since 2003 with the Rainforest Alliance, a group that "works to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use practices, business practices and consumer behavior."

This is part of Nespresso's "Ecolaboration," a sustainability drive launched on June 22. Along with the coffee purchase initiative, Nespresso also has goals of increasing how many coffee capsules it recycles and reducing the carbon footprint of its products.

In order to meet the 80 percent bean target, Nespresso will need to increase the number of certified farms it uses by 75,000. In addition, to bring itself up to speed with the Rainforest Alliance's specifications, the company will need to improve its water treatment standards and use more shade grown coffee on the farms.

And, according to the article, Nestle itself is considering the idea of sustainability as well. That might mean being able to feel less guilty about eating candy, ice cream and sweet cereals, too!

Photo courtesy of Flickr user theBlackBrian