The roastery, to be built in Basildon, is designed to achieve BREEAM ‘outstanding’ accreditation, while the fabric of the building itself is intended to be zero-energy.

The facility will feature solar PV roof-panels, generating approximately 250kW, and a rainwater harvesting system for recycling and re-using water.

The roastery, due to be opened in early 2017, will also have solar thermal technology to heat water and full LED lighting. A Costa spokesperson told edie that the company is looking into range of options for recycling/re-using the by-product  from the roasted beans.

Coffee waste can be a valuable resource, as demonstrated by a recent partnership between Network Rail and bio-bean, which will see 700 tonnes of coffee waste from the UK’s largest stations converted into 650 tonnes of biofuel every year.

The new Costa roastery and its internal equipment will also have variety of other sustainability features, drawing on lessons learned from Costa’s innovative Eco Pod coffee shop.

The Eco Pod, which took just 13 weeks to build, also achieved 'zero-energy' - through passive ventilation and innovative construction techniques which minimise the energy required to heat and cool the building.

Costa parent company Whitbread is one of the most sustainable companies in the hospitality space, having recently set new targets after achieving existing goals three years ahead of schedule.

Since 2009, Whitbread has cut carbon intensity by 33%, cut water use by 28%, doubled the amount of renewable energy purchased and diverted 95% of all waste away from landfill.

Costa is also a member of the Beyond the Beans campaign, which grades restaurants and cafés on sourcing of beverages, volume of disposable items, and efficiency in energy, waste and water.

Mai Linh