SCAA Developing Green Policy for its Annual Exposition

The Specialty Coffee Association of America is greening its meeting.

The SCAA’s Sustainability Council is working with Santa Monica, Calif.-based Three Squares Inc. to develop a policy that follows the principles outlined in the APEX/ASTM and ISO20121 event industry standards for sustainability.

The SCAA says it will initially focus on its largest event, its annual Exposition, but that it hopes to eventually apply the sustainability policy to all SCAA events, which annually include barista competitions and instructor training programs.

“The SCAA was already putting considerable effort towards executing responsible events, but we knew we could do more,” SCAA Sustainability Council representative Samantha Veide said in an announcement of the initiative. “Through the expertise of Three Squares Inc. and using the APEX/ASTM standards as our compass, we are working to not only significantly reduce the environmental impact of our events but also to lead by example and encourage others in the specialty coffee industry to consider how they can reduce their footprint as well.”