Pret electricity comes from 100% 'green' sources; a mixture of wind, wave and hydro-electricity. It costs a little more but makes total sense (even the accountants said yes).

The clever people at the Carbon Trust (www.carbontrust.co.uk) and The Green500 (www.green500.co.uk) have helped us to identify and work on a raft of energy-saving measures. We're establishing baseline information on our energy usage, with a view to reducing our use still further. Little changes make all the difference. Energy-saving light bulbs and turning off lights may seem ‘old hat’ but its impact can easily be forgotten in the pursuit of bigger, more ‘glamorous’ energy-saving solutions.

Water consumption can add up too. Last year we saved in excess of 140,000 litres of water by installing water hippos in our staff and customer toilets. These simple little devices reduce the amount of water used when the toilet is flushed. Amazing. If you want a water hippo just call your water authority, they usually supply them for free. Easy.

In an attempt to reduce noise and pollution, our fleet of 19 electric vans deliver our ‘Just Made’ sandwich platters to our Pret Delivers customers. These cute little vans have a serious message. Using them avoids over three tonnes of CO2 emissions a year (compared to diesel vans). We love them. They are practical and cheap to run. We don't have to pay the congestion charge or road tax (we still pay the odd parking fine, though). Our electric vans scooped two Green Fleet Awards in 2006.

We also plan our delivery routes very carefully to reduce mileage and backhaul our ingredients where possible. 

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