FRESH NEW LOOK, SAME VALUES
Since we launched our updated packaging range in 2020, we’ve been continuously re-evaluating how we can do better – for our coffee, our customers, and the planet.
We’ve looked into so many different options on the market. We weighed up the energy efficiency of producing the products vs the benefits of avoiding landfill. We also rigourously tested them all to make sure we weren’t sacrificing anything from a quality perspective.
In the end, we sourced materials we felt would have the least impact on the environment & stayed true to our values.
As we celebrate ten years of Locale, we’re proud to roll out a new generation of packaging that reflects everything we’ve learnt along the way: sustainability, functionality and design that does justice to the beans inside.
new retail coffee.
First things first, our roastery continues to be powered by solar energy & caffeine – and every product we produce is certified carbon neutral.
While we’re sad to say farewell to our retail tins, the original aim was for them to be reusable. We invisioned they’d be taken back to cafes and be refilled over & over again – but that just wasn’t the reality.
We’ve introduced new retail boxes, made from recyclable cardboard. The cutout in the front of the box made the tasting card the hero of the retail packaging & allowed us to reduce waste. Having the cards so easily interchangeable means we have much more flexibility with coffee rotations – and they look great too! This design also minimises the need for stickers on the bags, which means less contaminates in the recycling stream. The boxes are also simple to flatten and pop in your standard kerbside bin (white boxes only).
A note on our black boxes: there was a last-minute production issue with the black boxes which resulted in a laminate needing to be applied. This unfortunately does affect their recyclability – we’re working to find a better solution on the next run.
Inside the boxes, our coffee is sealed in new retail bags made from mono-soft plastic that uses 30% post-consumer recycled (PCR) material, supplied by our mates at EcoBarista.
The bag is made from a single type of plastic, which makes it much easier to recycle. They’re lighter and more efficient to produce – reducing both resource use and waste.
When you’ve finished your coffee, you can return your soft-plastic bags – either via your local Locale cafe, or directly back to Locale HQ – and we’ll send them off to Reground to have a second life. This goes for the new 250g bags and our existing 500g & 1kg bags. The 250g bags can also be recycled through alternate soft plastic recycling streams.
Through Reground, the bags are repurposed as building film or Plastoil – a pure, high-quality resource oil. Since 2020, we’ve diverted an estimated 1,800 kg of soft plastic from landfill – that’s 350+ shopping trolleys worth!
thinking outside the box.
Our wholesale boxes are recyclable & are also made from 100% recycled cardboard.
The boxes you receive via our online store are recyclable too but we always recommend holding onto those to reuse again. The branded tissue paper inside is eco-friendly, acid-free & FSC certified (forest stewardship council). The ink is soy-based, as opposed to traditional petroleum-based ink. The FSC certification ensures the materials were sourced in an environmentally-friendly, socially responsible & economically viable manner.
Our online store packaging can be popped directly into your kerbside recycling – just remove the outer box stickers first.
home compostable cups.
Our new branded takeaway cups are made by BioPak, and they’re a big step forward from traditional PLA-lined cups.
They’re made from responsibly sourced paper, printed with non-toxic, water or soy-based inks and lined with an Aqueous (water-based) coating – a more sustainable alternative to bioplastics or PE. This unique coating means the cups are certified both home and industrially compostable (AS5810 & AS4736), breaking down naturally without leaving behind microplastics.
The matching 80mm Pulp lids are also home compostable and fit both 8 oz and 12 oz cups, keeping things simple for baristas and stock management – without compromising on sustainability or performance.
what's next.
We’ve always believed in progress over perfection. Every material choice has to strike a balance between quality, functionality and environmental responsibility.
Our goal is to keep improving, not to wait for a perfect solution that may never come. Small changes add up – and when everyone plays a part, the impact is far greater. By moving to recyclable mono-material bags, home compostable cups, and recyclable cardboard outers, we’re helping to reduce our waste and make it easier for cafes & customers to close the loop.
Another 5 years on, the goal hasn’t changed: keep sourcing & roasting epic coffees, and do it responsibly.
This is just another step forward for us. We’ll continue to review, test and evolve our packaging as new materials and recycling systems become available. For now, we’re proud to say our new packaging not only looks good, but does good too – for the people, the planet, and of course, the coffee.
More on our sustainability journey below.
