Sustainability

At Coffee World, we believe that great coffee should not come at the cost of our planet, and that belief is woven into the very fabric of our company. Here’s how we make a difference:

  1. Greener Deliveries:

We’ve invested in an electric van for local deliveries within Cambridgeshire; within which the majority of our trade customers are based. By opting for electric vehicles, we’re not just delivering great taste, but also promoting a cleaner, greener future. For e-commerce deliveries, we utilize eco-friendly shipping methods whenever possible and prioritizes local sourcing to reduce the environmental impact of long-distance transportation.

  1. Harnessing Solar Power:

Our facilities are equipped with state-of-the-art solar panels that harness the power of the sun to fuel our operations. By relying on solar energy, we significantly decrease our reliance on traditional power sources and it means all our roasting is energy efficient!

  1. Recyclable Packaging:

We use fully recyclable packaging for our products, avoiding single use materials, therefore ensuring that every bag you open leaves behind a smaller ecological footprint. Our orders are packed with recycled paper and using FSC Certified cardboard.

  1. Responsible Suppliers:

Our company selects suppliers by prioritizing those who share our commitment to sustainability. By partnering with suppliers that adhere to ethical labour practices and environmental standards, our company contributes to a supply chain that values social responsibility and environmental stewardship.

  1. Waste isn’t wasted

Our waste products aren’t wasted; we only roast to meet the fairly predictable demand of our customer base in regular, small batches. All unused coffee from our customers is collected and sent to a 3rd party to create coffee logs and our coffee sacks are re-sold or donated to animal charities to create bedding.

Impact

Women in business: At Coffee World, we celebrate the incredible role that women play in society; everywhere from the lush coffee farms to the heart of our business, women are at the forefront, shaping the world of coffee with their dedication, expertise, and passion. Here are the ways we uphold the status and importance of women in and through our business:

  1. Diversity in Our Business:

Our business is proud to have strong, talented women driving our success. From leadership roles to our operations with one out of 3 of the active directors being the matriarch of our business and the office manager, women play a crucial part in shaping our brand and ensuring the excellence of our products. We believe in providing equal opportunities and promoting a workplace where people of all races, nationalities, religions and backgrounds, thrive.

  1. Women in Coffee Farms:

We recognize the vital role women-farmers play in cultivating and harvesting the beans that make your coffee experience exceptional and as such, Coffee World commits to supporting at least one women-focussed initiative, annually. Currently, Coffee World is supporting such an initiative through its speciality coffee; Masaba – sourced from Uganda. Our Masaba coffee supports the Friends of Mothers Initiative, a charity that looks to close the gender gap that currently exists in the Ugandan coffee market. The Friends of Mothers Initiative currently works with over 200 women across 7 villages under the belief of “Bright Beans, Bright Future”.

Our Bags

Our New Coffee Bags – March 2024

Our new bags coffee bags are recyclable coffee bags and we chose this to reduce our environmental impact.  During the research stage, we looked into compostable packaging, but we found the UK lacks sufficient facilities for processing compostable plastics, making recyclable bags a more practical and sustainable option.

How to Recycle Your Coffee Bags:

Collect your used coffee bags and drop them off at soft plastics recycling points across the UK. Find your nearest location here. Upcoming household recycling services will also simplify disposal.

Why We Use Recyclable Plastic:

From the beginning, we’ve focused on eco-friendly choices. We recognize that compostable packaging often fails to decompose as intended and can lead to microplastics. Research indicates that compostable packaging may have a greater environmental impact than recyclable options, prompting us to switch to recyclable packaging

Challenges with Compostable Plastics

Research shows that compostable plastics may not decompose properly and can generate microplastics. Scientific studies and recommendations from the UCL Plastic Waste Innovation Hub suggest that recycling is more effective for most packaging.

Benefits of Recycled and Recyclable Bags

The UK has strong recycling infrastructure for soft plastics, and upcoming services will make it easier to recycle our coffee bags. Packaging with high recycled content has a lower environmental impact. Therefore, our new bags will use at least 70% post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic, supporting sustainability and reducing our carbon footprint.

Moving forward, we will continue to research packaging solutions to ensure we remain informed and make environmentally responsible decisions.

Coffee World Change

 

Coffee World Change was launched in 2024 to both maximise and personalise the social impact of our business. Donating to national charities was great, but it didn’t give us much insight our impact and it never felt personal. We decided to take matters into our own hands by sourcing deserving organisations based in countries within the coffee belt. We commit 1% of our previous year’s profits to funding change projects for these organisations and helping them reach their goals! We support these organisations on a project-by-project basis and focus our support on donations that:

  • Have the biggest impact on improving the quality of life of women and children in particular
  • Promote the self-sustainability of these organisations by reducing their running costs or providing them with a future income source
  • Are environmentally sustainable

We are starting off in east Africa, in the top 20 producers of coffee in the world and whose largest export is coffee; Kenya & Tanzania.

Read more on our individual projects and their impact.

Coffee World Change