When we say “a good plant-based milk for coffee”, we think about taste, frothing and consistency. But today there’s something more: formal proof of responsible business. On 18 August 2025 Sproud announced that it had obtained B Corp certification — one of the most demanding social and environmental impact certifications in the world. This is important news for anyone who likes to know what stands behind their product.
Table of contents
- Introduction
- B Corp in brief (without marketing fluff)
- What exactly did Sproud announce?
- Why does this actually matter for your coffee?
- B Corp ≠ perfection. It’s a framework that forces you to do your homework
- What does this mean for JAVA Coffee Roasters and for you?
- What should you look at as a conscious consumer?
- For the curious: a few specifics on Sproud’s climate footprint
- Summary
B Corp in brief (without marketing fluff)
B Corp is a certification awarded by the B Lab organisation to companies that meet high standards in five areas: environment, workers, community, customers and governance. To obtain the certificate, a company must:
- undergo verification and score at least 80 points in the B Impact Assessment,
- introduce a legal commitment to take into account the interests of all stakeholders,
- make its results public on its B Corp profile and renew the certification every 3 years.
Today, the global community already includes more than 10,000 certified B Corps across 102 countries and 161 industries. The number is growing — and that’s good news, because transparency is becoming the norm rather than the exception.
What exactly did Sproud announce?
Sproud (a plant-based alternative made from yellow peas) has been verified by B Lab and has joined the B Corp movement. This is not a one-off rubber stamp — the certification confirms that strict standards are being met and obliges the company to maintain and continuously improve them. The information is confirmed by the brand’s official press release and trade media.
Why does this actually matter for your coffee?
Carbon footprint under control
Sproud measures and verifies the climate footprint of its products (including in Poland) in the CarbonCloud system and publishes the results — for example, the Unsweetened version has a footprint of 0.28 kg CO₂e per kg of product (when sold in Sweden). This is a level of detail we rarely see on the plant-based drinks market.
Protein source: peas
Yellow peas naturally fix nitrogen in the soil, support biodiversity and require relatively little water — this is one of the reasons why Sproud claims to have the lowest carbon footprint among plant-based milks (according to its own data and methodology). For us, more important than the slogan itself is the fact that the company publishes its measurements and submits them to external verification.
Transparency over declarations
On Sproud’s website you’ll find not only product descriptions, but also impact reports and links to verification tools. It’s a way of communicating that anyone who likes to make decisions based on facts will appreciate.
B Corp ≠ perfection. It’s a framework that forces you to do your homework
The B Corp movement also has its critics — among other things for allowing very different types of companies to be certified. It’s a valuable discussion, because the standards need to evolve along with the market. B Lab regularly updates the rules and recertification processes (including the requirement to review every 3 years and tighten criteria in the new standards) to better address challenges and expectations. In short: it’s a living system that keeps learning — rather than cashing in on a one-time win.
What does this mean for JAVA Coffee Roasters and for you?
- Trust in the supply chain. We work with brands that are clear about where they stand. B Corp requires companies to publicly share information about their actions and results — which makes conscious choices easier for us and for our customers.
- Alignment of values. At JAVA we believe that “Good coffee is a human right” — and that products also carry responsibility towards people and the planet. Sproud’s certification helps turn this into something concrete: measured impact, regular audits and continuous improvement.
- A better conversation about “plant-based”. Instead of talking in general terms, we can talk about specific numbers (a product’s CO₂e footprint), methodologies and year-on-year progress. That’s a real step forward in the quality of our dialogue with consumers.
What should you look at as a conscious consumer?
- Does the brand publish numbers, not just slogans? (e.g. a product’s CO₂e footprint, methodology used).
- Is there an independent body verifying the data? (CarbonCloud, B Lab).
- Can you see continuity of action? B Corp requires recertification every three years — check whether companies report progress, not just their “starting score”.
For the curious: a few specifics on Sproud’s climate footprint
- Unsweetened: 0.28 kg CO₂e / kg (when sold in Sweden).
- Original: 0.33 kg CO₂e / kg (when sold in Sweden).
- Vanilla: 0.32 kg CO₂e / kg (when sold in Sweden).
Sproud links to full data and methodology — a good practice that makes it easier to compare products and understand “where the numbers come from”.
For Sproud, becoming a B Corp is more than just a reason to celebrate. It’s a framework of accountability that makes it easier to match declarations with reality — and to talk about plant-based not in terms of emotion, but in numbers. For us at JAVA Coffee Roasters, it’s another step towards coffee that tastes good and does good.
