On-line vending operator Bunzl Coffee Point has installed 40 new energy-efficient vending machines, including 13 drinks machines serving Kenco Rain Forest Alliance coffee, at Garlands Call Centres in Middlesbrough, Stockton, Hartlepool Marina and South Shields.
The move came about as the result of Garlands’ staff asking management for a more ethically-produced and sustainable coffee. Rain Forest Alliance coffee is supplied by farmers affiliated to the Rain Forest Alliance scheme and who work in some of the world’s most impoverished areas.
Bunzl Coffee Point’s new vending machines employ state-of-the-art technology that enables them to consume less energy than their predecessors at Garlands – without compromising on performance. Another bonus is that they require less maintenance, and these factors will combine to make a notable reduction to Garland’s carbon footprint. Garlands is a leading UK provider of outsourced customer contact services via phone, email and the web, with services including customer service, outbound customer acquisition, debt collection, customer retention, credit management, customer lifecycle management and many other back office functions.
“Over the five-year term of our contract with Bunzl Coffee Point, our staff will drink around two-and-a-half million cups of coffee,” said Martyn Collins, Environmental Manager of Garlands Call Centres. ‘We’d like to think that will contribute towards enhancing the lives of marginalised coffee producers, their families and their communities.”
Bunzl Coffee Point Managing Director Neil Dobbs, who is Chairman of the Bunzl UK & Ireland ‘beGreen’ initiative team and a spokesman on environmental issues, recognises the growing desire among clients to trade ethically and sustainably. “Sustainability is a key pillar of our strategy”, he explained. “Products that are Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade and Ethical Tea Partnership are an increasingly important part of our product portfolio. Our consumers, many of whom work for blue-chip companies like Garlands, demand products that have been manufactured ethically and sustainably, delivered by machines that operate economically and it’s our pleasure to satisfy that demand.’
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