Empire Coffee aims to be a sustainable operation by using the following methods:

• We use locally sourced products where possible. Our coffee beans are locally roasted in Christchurch, our drinking chocolate and chai latte powder is made in NZ, and we use Anchor milk from a local supplier
• We offer a range of plant based milks including Alpro soy milk, MilkLab coconut milk and macadamia milk, Almond Breeze barista almond milk and Minor Figures oat milk - in our opinion the four best plant based milks available for use in coffee. 
• Our packaging is sourced from Innocent Packaging. The hot cups we use are made from plants, not oil and have a 75% lower carbon footprint than most of the other cups you've had a drink from. The lids we use are made from CPLA, which is the crystallised form of the PLA (Polylactic Acid) used in our cups. We don't carry sugar sachets or serviettes so our paper waste can be reduced
• We aim to reduce our own waste as much as possible, and encourage our customers to do the same. We offer a 50c discount for customers who bring their own cup
• Our leftover coffee grinds go either to a local startup company called Scrubbed Up, who create handmade coffee scrubs using natural ingredients, or to our vege garden - snails and slugs don't like used coffee grounds!