April 22nd 2018 marks Earth Day, a day for thinking about the lasting effects humans have on the planet and how we can work together to reduce the impact of these effects.
Thanks to BBC’s Blue Planet 2 highlighting the issue, this years Earth Day 2018 focus will be on reducing plastic waste. Changing human attitudes and behaviours will play a big part in this campaign and will help to create a significant reduction in plastic pollution.
“From poisoning and injuring marine life to disrupting human hormones, from littering our beaches and landscapes to clogging our waste streams and landfills, the exponential growth of plastics is now threatening the survival of our planet”
Here at Bristol Twenty, we are very serious about doing our bit for the environment and in turn, saving the planet. We have implemented a number of changes into our business over the last year and plan to continue changing and growing in the coming years. This growth and change will be beneficial to both our customers and the environment.
To celebrate Earth Day 2018, we have rounded up the environmental changes we have made in the past year and plan to continue into the coming years.
Fully Compostable Cups & Lids
All of our Bristol Twenty cups and lids are fully compostable. Supplied by Edenware, our cups are made from high quality, food grade paperboard and linedwith PLA. A plant-based polylactic acid made from cornstarch, creating a much lower carbon footprint thanks to being plant based. All cup printing is completed using soya based inks, meaning no nasty chemicals are involved in the printing and recycling processes.
Our lids are supplied by Vegware, made from the same plant-based PLA material as our cups, they are heat resistant up to 85 degrees celcius with a tight fit and sleek design. With PLA based products being around 67% lower in carbon than plastic, they make the ideal solution for those wanting to reduce their carbon footprint.
Reusable Coffee Cups
Although our cups and lids are now fully recyclable and compostable, there was a time when only our cups could be recycled. Because of this, we wanted to come up with a solution that would offer the customers of our customers, the chance to reduce the amount of waste generated from disposable cups and lids.
The first wave of reusable travel cups were created with a double wall of plastic and a silicone lid. After many trials with customers, we have found this option to not be as successful as we had hoped.
We have since moved on to an updated reusable travel cup offer, one that is both microwave and dishwasher safe. Our new reusable travel cups are BPA free and made in the UK, cutting down on air freight miles. The updated, reusable travel cups will be available to buy soon through Bristol Twenty, allowing users to save money on drinks at participating coffee outlets and do their bit to cut down on waste.
Reusable Plastic Tub System
This year, we introduced a new plastic tub system for delivering and storing Bristol Twenty blends. Available to all of our customers, these lidded plastic tubs from AUER Packaging are food safe, each holding 4kg of freshly roasted Bristol Twenty coffee beans. The lids ensure your coffee stays fresher for longer.
For our customers who would like to go with this plastic tub system, the first order will be sent out via courier delivery. Subsequent orders after this will be collected and replaced by a member of the Bristol Twenty team to then be sanitized and refilled.
Our team will ask for a weeks notice when you would like a replacement tub, this is so that we will be able to schedule it into our day when we are out and about. This will help to reduce our van mileage, ensuring we do not make unnecessary one way trips, thus helping the environment.
The benefits of this new system will mean that our customers will have a constant supply of freshly roasted coffee and have more contact with members of the team, allowing us to be more reactive when problems arise. Through this system, customers will also benefit from a £2.00 discount for each tub returned in a reusable condition, better for the planet and your purse!
For more information, please contact the Bristol Twenty team on 0843 557 4669 or email sales@bristol-twenty.co.uk
Using Plastic Alternatives
At Bristol Twenty, we ensure that we use cardboard and paper based recyclable products as much as we can, instead of using plastic products.
All of our coffees, tagged catering teabags and catering pyramid teabags come in recyclable boxes. Our teabag boxes also come with reusable grip seal bags.
The majority of hot chocolates that come from our supplier Zuma, come in cardboard cartons, sealed with foil which is widely recyclable.
Some of our products such as our Sweetbird syrup bottles, are made of PET plastic which is widely recyclable. We do not use plastic stirrers, instead opting for renewable wooden stirrers instead.
Plastic Free Tea
All of our teabags, from the cheaper catering options to the speciality blends, are made from Soilon.
Soilon features a mesh filter teabag with a much longer string in comparison to other teabags available on the market, meaning they are perfect for use in a variety of different cups and mugs.
The outer mesh bag, strings and tags are composed of biomass materials derived from plants, making it a much more environmentally friendly and renewable option. Kinder to the environment while offering customers the same fantastic quality and flexibility they have come to expect.
Discover the full range of Bristol Twenty speciality teas here.
Less Shipping Space, Fresher Taste
Another impact on the environment we may not have thought of before is how coffee is shipped after roasting.
Where roasted coffee is double the size of green coffee beans, shipping roasted coffee means taking up double the space and affecting the impact on the environment.
Buying locally roasted coffee helps to cut down the impact shipping will have on the environment. The benefits to the planet are great, but the benefits to customers is greater as they get to have much fresher coffee which often comes with added benefits such as being Fairtrade or Organic certified.
Shop Bristol Twenty Organic & Fairtrade certified coffee here.
Protective Bags with Less Environmental Impact
We are in the process of changing our coffee bags to be more environmentally friendly. The True Bio Bags offer the perfect biodegradable solution. Made from materials certified as biodegradable under the strictest standards in existence.
Made up of 44% unbleached Kraft paper and 14% wood pulp, the rest is made up of a combination of bioplastic, both as part of the bag and the zipper used for freshness. A water based adhesive is used between each layer, offering the same bonding properties as non water based adhesives. Under the right conditions, these bags will biodegrade within 90 days unlike other products where only 40% of the packaging is degraded over a 5 – 10 year period.
These environmentally friendly bags offer the same protection as other bags which are much harsher on the environment, meaning you still have the same fantastically protected coffee without worrying about the environmental impact.
Reducing Paper Waste
Although paper is widely recycled and can be made up of recycled materials, our long term aim is to use as little unnecessary paper within our business as possible. All of our invoices and quotes are now sent to clients electronically, with delivery notes printed on recycled paper.
The vast majority of our advertising is done electronically, both through social media and the use of online newsletters to keep our customers up to date with what’s going on in the world of Bristol Twenty. By not sending out paper mail, we are reducing the amount of unnecessary paper waste in households and businesses every year.