#consciouscoffee

In our eyes, coffee should not only taste great, but also be ethical, sustainable and equitable.
We do this by buying high quality specialty coffee that is ethically and transparently produced and sourced; partnering with organisations that give back to communities and having packaging that is completely biodegradable and compostable.

WHAT ARE WE DOING TO BE SUSTAINABLE?

We continuously strive for more sustainability in our business. Currently we do it through the following means:

Using compostable and biodegradable packaging and paper based stickers.

Using plastic free packing tape when shipping.

Re-using boxes and other packing materials as far as possible.

Recycling the plastic that does end up getting shipped to us.

Composting coffee waste, such as used coffee grounds.

WHY BIODEGRADABLE PACKAGING, INSTEAD OF RECYCLABLE?

Most coffee packaging are not recyclable, because of the foil liner on the inside. We therefore did a lot of research on the topic of environmentally friendly packaging in order to find an alternative. 

We decided on our current packaging, that is paper based and biodegradable, mainly for two reasons:

Firstly, it is made from nature, using sustainable materials. No plastic is added to the system.

Secondly, although recycling is an essential part of caring for the environment, the systems are not yet as available in South Africa, especially outside of cities. Where these facilities are available, people don’t always make use of it.

By using compostable and biodegradable packaging, we wanted to cater for the worst case scenario: what happens when the packaging doesn’t get processed correctly. Recyclable packaging, and even previously recycle packaging, is still plastic. If it doesn’t get recycle, it ends up in landfill for 20 – 500 years. If our biodegradable packaging doesn’t get composted properly, it will biodegrade within a year or two.