December 02, 2008 // Franchising.com // Costa, the UK's largest and fastest growing coffee shop chain, has topped a survey which asked over 1000 'concerned consumers' which brand they thought did the most to tackle social and environmental issues. Costa was featured number one above Subway, Wild Bean Café, Starbucks, Pret a Manger, Pizza Hut, McDonald's, Burger King and KFC.
Costa Top 5 Corporate Social Responsibility projects:
- Costa Coffee was the first UK coffee shop chain to commit to sourcing beans from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms back in April 2008.
- Costa set up a registered charity (no.327489) in 2006 called 'The Costa Foundation' to give something back to the communities within the countries from which Costa sources its coffee beans.
- Costa sponsors the annual Book Awards, which encourages and promotes the best of British writing and literacy in the UK.
- All Costa cups are made from sustainable sources. It has successfully reduced the inner card content of its cups by 10%, which saves around 1,100 trees a year. Costa is continuously striving to find ways to reduce the amount of waste that gets sent to landfill and is currently a member of the UK Paper Cup Recycling Committee.
- Costa has teamed up with Caféchurch. It lends a number of its stores for discussion forums to Cafechurch who use it as a social space after closing hours to engage with local communities.
"Costa's position at the top of the Concerned Consumer Index* provides it with an enviable position as many consumers start to look for companies that can help them match value with values. And, with over 75% of concerned consumers saying they have a higher opinion of companies that continue to spend money on social and environmental activities even when economic conditions are difficult, this position is likely to help Costa survive the mounting pressures on the sector."
Giles Gibbons, Founder and CEO, Good Business
"I am delighted to learn that Costa Coffee has topped the ethical list in today's Times newspaper Concerned Consumer Survey. The last 18 months alone has seen the brand invest in 12 schools in coffee growing communities, and at least 30% of their coffee is now purchased from Rainforest Alliance certified farms. Costa should be proud of their ethical acceleration over the last few years. It's refreshing to see a UK coffee shop leading the way in the High Street."
Piers Blake, Independent Ethical Consultant
About Costa:
Costa is now officially the largest and fastest growing coffee shop chain in the UK. It opened its 1000th milestone store in March 2008 in Moscow.
Costa was founded by Italian brothers Sergio and Bruno Costa in 1971. With 821 stores in the UK and over 300 internationally, Costa has enjoyed a remarkable period of growth since it opened its first store. It now operates in 25 countries.
Costa Coffee was the first UK coffee shop chain to commit sourcing Rainforest Alliance Certified Coffee. Costa's in-store baristas are all coached in the art of coffee making at the company's unique Costa Coffee Academy based at its own roastery in Lambeth, London.
Costa has won the British Sandwich Association's award for Best Coffee Bar Retailer 2008. Costa has been voted as one of the strongest UK brands by experts and consumers and has been awarded 'Superbrand' status.
Costa set up a registered charity (no.327489) in 2006 called 'The Costa Foundation' to give something back to the communities within the countries from which Costa sources its coffee beans.
Costa is part of the Whitbread family of brands.
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