Delicious Coffee, Sustainable Shipping
How we’re offsetting emissions from our online orders
By Blue Bottle Sustainability Manager Audrey Waldrop
Sustainability at Blue Bottle means caring for people and the planet. When our U.S. cafes temporarily closed in 2020 due to COVID-19, care for our guests motivated us to provide complimentary shipping throughout the U.S. But while shipping was free, we knew the environment paid a price.
As we connected our community to Blue Bottle Coffee at home, we felt strongly that sustainability should not take a back seat. This is why we now offset the greenhouse gas emissions associated with our online store for orders shipped throughout the U.S.
In 2020, this meant we made financial contributions toward a methane digester at Scenic View Dairy, located an hour’s drive from Grand Rapids, Michigan. In 2021, we supported a project to improve forest management in Minnesota. In 2022, we supported grassland restoration in China’s Qinghai Three-River Source Region. And in 2023, we supported the provision of affordable, high-performing stoves to communities in Honduras that historically have had limited access to energy.
In 2024, Blue Bottle instead pursued brand-wide carbon neutrality. That milestone drove Blue Bottle to focus its sustainability efforts where impact and opportunity were greatest, in coffee Origins, while maintaining our commitment to offset the greenhouse gas emissions associated with online store orders shipped throughout the U.S.
In 2025, Blue Bottle supported a community-based project reforesting degraded grasslands in Tanzania.
The project employed local Tanzanians to plant multiple species with a focus on native species. The reforestation effort incorporated conservation principles to protect soil and water while promoting biodiversity through the management of indigenous flora and fauna as well as through enrichment plantings of indigenous species and fruits where possible.
The project supports local employment and infrastructure development, including improvements to local communities’ water supply. This project is verified by Verra.
Overall, in 2025, Blue Bottle’s U.S. e-commerce shipping offsets had the same carbon impact as growing 1,819 tree seedlings for 10 years, taking 25 gas-powered cars off the road for one year, or not using 255 barrels of oil. It’s a small step, but one we hope will let you enjoy your online purchases that much more, knowing they are healthier for the planet.
The volume of offsets Blue Bottle purchases is estimated from its annual U.S. shipping activity and calculated using average ground-shipping emission factors.