responsible packaging

packaging was one of the main areas we wanted to focus on minimising our environmental impact. in fact, it was the catalyst for our packaging refresh.

in our bid to make our entire range better for the earth, we looked into so many different options. we weighed up the energy efficiency of producing the products v’s the benefits of avoiding landfill. we also looked into compostable solutions but ultimately decided any recyclable and/or reusable option that could potentially have multiple life cycles, was going to be preferable to a single-use one.

in the end, we sourced materials we felt had the least impact on the environment & most aligned with our company philosophy.

our main goal in sourcing the packaging for retail, was to find a reusable solution. ideally, we wanted something that could be taken back to the café and refilled, rather than us sending out single-use packaging each time (especially with the smaller 200g lots).

these composite canisters can be mainstream recycled & are made from already reclaimed materials. the paperboard that forms the cylinder is made from over 90% recycled material & the metal ends contain 25% recycled material.

we’re offering customers the option of taking empty tins to participating ‘refill nation’ spots (aka: our incredible cafe partners!) & having beans refilled for $1 off the rrp. together, we can have so much more of an impact. please note: refills are only available for our blends (unfortunately not for singles as we’re constantly rotating these).

to find your closest refill nation cafe, head over to our cafe finder page & look for the canister icon.

in our search for environmentally friendly bags, we discovered there wasn’t much on the market that ticked all of our boxes, and also maintained the integrity & freshness of the coffee. we knew we had to get of rid of that pesky foil lining (it’s no secret all foil-lined bags head straight to landfill – even the ones that look ‘natural’) & we were hoping to avoid plastic of any kind. in the end, the best option we found was a recyclable soft plastic bag. while they can’t be mainstream recycled, they can be placed into the redcycle collection stream at Coles & Woolies.

but, the majority of our bags go into cafes. we were very conscious that many councils don’t support soft plastics recycling & the last thing we wanted was for the bags to end up in landfill anyway or create a solution that was difficult for our cafe partners to implement. to help combat this, we’re closing our own loop & offering a collection service to take any empty bags back from our café partners each week.

we’ve also teamed up with the legends over at Reground to ensure the bags are properly recycled. Reground’s mission is to turn waste into a resource. so far, they’ve redirected 16 million lattes worth of coffee from landfill to local community gardens, 6,000 shopping trolleys worth of soft plastics to be recycled, and with the help of their community, they’ve avoided 1.1 million tonnes of toxic gas from entering our atmosphere.

all of our soft plastics will go back to Reground to be recycled locally. our bags will then be turned into pellets and used in our roads here in Australia, essentially giving them a second life cycle. by closing our own loop, we could divert an estimated 1.5 tonne of waste from landfill every year…we’d say that’s a win for the environment!!

our wholesale boxes are recyclable & are also made from 100% recycled material.

the cardboard boxes you receive via our online store are recyclable too but we always recommend holding onto it to reuse again. so is the branded tissue paper inside; it’s 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.

any cards you may have received in the box are made from 100% recycled card. the printing service provider we use for all of our cards are solar powered (like us) & care about sustainability almost as much as we do. all of the online store packaging can be popped directly into your kerbside recycling.

deliveries via our online store are also 100% carbon neutral through a delightful company called Sendle…you can read more about them here.

we had three things in mind when we created our merch range;

~ add product lines that’ll actually get worn/used.

~ make sure the materials are ethically sourced, sustainable & locally produced (wherever possible).

~ avoid creating something just for the sake of it (if it didn’t somehow tie into our business, or what we’re about, we felt we’d just be adding to the waste culture by making it).

our tees & totes are from as colour, they’re child labour free & ethically sourced. the tees are also 100% organic (pesticide-free). they’re super comfy & wash really well too.

we decided to add tote bags to our range as they can be constantly reused, in place of plastic or paper bags (you’d be able to carry a decent amount of coffee in them too). we’ve added an unbranded, ceramic, reusable frank green coffee cup to our list too & we’re still searching for the right mug options to complete the range. stay tuned for more.

it’s estimated that over 1 billion disposable cups end up landfill each year! in keeping with our brand ethos, we’ve converted 100% of our takeaway cup/lid range across to a recyclable alternative in hopes of reducing the waste our industry contributes.

we wrote a whole blog post about Detpak’s award-winning recycleme program (which is endorsed by Planet Ark), and how you can get involved. Read more here.

note: these cups can’t be added to regular kerbside recycling. they need to be popped into designated recycleme bins to ensure they don’t end up in landfill. we suggest holding onto your cups & lids & returning them to stores with designated collection station (you can find a list of locations here).

we’re always looking for ways we can continue to improve in this area. as always, we welcome your feedback, suggestions & queries. if you’d like to drop us a line, head over to our contact page.