As Erin tells us in this week’s podcast, one big stumbling block on the road to becoming the leader in carbon-neutral flooring was the raw materials used in their products. Here in Oregon, cold-brew coffee brand Riff looked at their own supply chain and saw potential in cascara, the flesh that surrounds coffee seeds.
There are some teas made from cascara, but most of it ends up as landfill. But that doesn’t mean cascara is worthless—it’s rich in antioxidants, naturally sweet and fruity, and full of caffeine. So Riff created a cascara energy drink and in March this new product line was certified carbon-neutral through the combination of upcycling ingredients and purchasing offsets.
And, in the spirit of moving from “do-no-harm” to “doing more”, Riff is working on reducing the carbon cost of their packaging instead of relying on offsets to stay carbon-neutral. Cheers to that!
