So what is sustainability? Sustainability has been defined by the United Nations as ‘development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs'. Sustainability is the intersection of environmental responsibility, social responsibility and economic responsibility. It is about preserving the planet - in terms of land, air, water and people.

Sustainability spans a range of social, economic and environmental topics from climate change driven by greenhouse gas emissions to helping coffee and cocoa farmers earn a decent wage.

So what does it mean for the vending business? Business, consumers and government all have a role to play in sustainability and need to demonstrate what actions they are taking to encourage it. Demand from end users, staff and investors to do business with companies that are serious about sustainability is growing.*

Tom Burke CBE, sustainability advisor to Rio Tinto plc, visiting Professor at Imperial College, London and former advisor to three ministers of the environment, has been a leading environmentalist for 30 years. Tom commented:

"Contributing to the global shift to a sustainable environment is a business imperative and not an option"

In vending there are many routes that can be taken to drive long-term sustainability - for example, supplying sustainably farmed products, reviewing transportation, ISO 14001 accreditation, to name but a few . But will interest decline given our economic down-turn? Well, certainly latest research by Kenco** conducted in September 2008 does not indicate that consumers are any less interested in sustainably sourced products.

Whilst the current economic climate means a level of uncertainty in 2009 that no- one could have predicted six months ago, one thing is a certainty: to succeed, businesses will have to adapt and change.

In addition all the indicators suggest quality will still win in vending. The consumer's requirement for quality has not declined and Kenco's latest research conducted in September 2008 proves that it is still of primary importance to out-of-home consumers.

Improved quality vending in the workplace can prevent retail purchases creeping onto sites by helping clients better satisfy staff. This is particularly relevant in coffee vending where a very attractive ‘value for money' offer can be achieved, versus the high street coffee shop, with the introduction of bean-to-cup or high quality freeze-dried coffee, high quality whitener and large paper cups together with an extended menu of vended drinks.

Finally, with all this talk of down-turn, it's great to hear a positive: a leading academic from the University of North Carolina claims a surprising side to economic down-turn: "We'll smoke less, be fitter, thinner and greener and the roads will be safer".***

So maybe 2009 won't be so bad after all.

* base advisory board

** Menurama 2008

*** writes Alice Thomson - The Times. Friday. October 10. 2008

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