The Peabodys cafe on the ground floor of the LMB isn’t just about ciabattas and cappuccinos, smoothies and sandwiches – they have a sustainability strategy that fits right in with our own Patient First, Planet First plan.
Whether you take your coffee black or white, we want it to be green as well.
From how we design our buildings, to the choices people have for grabbing a bite to eat, University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust is focused on reducing its carbon footprint and protecting the environment.
The Patient First, Planet First strategy has three main pillars – protecting the environment; caring for our people; enhancing ethical sourcing – and benefits are already being delivered, as demonstrated by the contract given to Peabodys. The company will soon also open a second outlet at the Royal Sussex County Hospital.
Our Patient First Planet First ambition is to reduce our carbon footprint by 80% by 2032 and to reach net zero by 2040, and the policies and practices of partner organisations within our hospitals need to help us achieve that.
Peabodys has 11 shops at 4 hospital sites across England, and their aims include:
- 30% of the milk in their drinks is non-dairy – higher than the national average
- single use plastic reduction strategy
- protecting the rain forest through their choice of coffee
- 100% coffee waste recycled as organic fertiliser
- use local businesses for supplies
- meat free Monday – coming in January 2024
Over 10 years this approach has led to 217 acres of rainforest being saved, 61,774 tonnes of carbon being stored, and 41,041 trees being protected – those are the benefits that UHSussex also wants to help secure.
If we can deliver those same benefits in Brighton, that would mean the new café would help us to protect two acres of rainforest, 550 trees, and store 1,000 tonnes of carbon.
Peabodys also make their coffee grinds available at the front of the store, filling roughly 4-5 bags per day. These are taken away by staff to use on allotments and gardens.
To reduce the amount of waste we have at the end of the day, they also reduce products by 50% at around 4pm. Anything that does not sell between then and closing gets boxed up and taken to The Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital.
Karen Geoghegan, chief finance officer and the executive lead for Patient First, Planet First at UHSussex, said: “We want to work with partners like Peabodys, whose approach reflects our Patient First, Planet First Green Plan. By working together with partners like this we can help to deliver a greener NHS in Sussex that cares for our planet and enables us to secure a better, healthier life for generations to come.”
Claudia Mascino, Director at Peabodys Coffee, added: “Since 1997, Peabodys have been passionate about creating a company that strives to help protect our environment, sustainability, sourcing produce locally and care for the wonderful team we have.
“We are proud to continue our pledge to help protect our environment and the world around us through choices we make as a business, alongside the University Hospital Sussex NHS Foundation Trust.
“It is fantastic to partner with a Trust who have also worked hard around sustainability and environmental issues with their initiatives; Patient First, Planet First green plan.”