Earth Day is an annual event designed to celebrate the planet and remind us all of the importance of sustainability and taking care of the natural environment, while also encouraging people to come together and take action for a brighter future.
As a mobile coffee franchise with a fleet of nearly 100 vans, you might think our business would be responsible for more than its fair share of pollution. However, that couldn't be further from the truth. We know how important it is to the planet - not to mention consumers and potential franchisees - to be an environmentally-friendly company and that's why we're on a mission to become the first carbon neutral coffee company in the UK. Here are just a few of the ways we're going about it.
Electric vans.
Our fleet of vehicles is electric and 100% emission-free, meaning we've massively reduced our CO² emissions over the years. Each of our vehicles also features an in-van generator that runs on lithium-ion batteries, so our emissions from in-van generators is zero too.
Furthermore, our electric vans have minimal moving parts and more effective brakes, so fewer replacement parts need manufacturing, reducing our greenhouse gas emissions even further.
Reusable or compostable cups.
Most disposable coffee cups are thrown away and end up in landfill because they have a thin plastic lining which makes them difficult to process for recycling. Reusable coffee cups, on the other hand, will last for years if properly cared for. Even when they reach the end of their lifecycle, most can then be recycled and some are even made of recycled materials.
We do our bit by periodically giving away our reusable cups for free with certain purchases and we've set up a recycling scheme for customers who still use disposable cups. We also offer compostable cups which can be composted or recycled, reducing waste and ensuring fewer items are sent to landfill.
Avoiding plastic straws.
Like disposable coffee cups, plastic straws can't be reused and usually end up in landfill, which is why we replaced ours with biodegradable paper alternatives, reducing our carbon footprint even further.
Recycling.
We offer our customers the opportunity to recycle their paper cups to slow the rate at which new disposable cups are produced, as well as a coffee grounds recycling initiative to counteract the 1.8 million tonnes of carbon emissions which are generated by the 500,000 tonnes of coffee waste disposed of in the UK every year. The initiative sees waste coffee grounds being recycled into biofuel pellets to power biomass boilers, significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions and helping keep the air cleaner.
Going digital.
These days, we're almost completely paper-free at Cafe2U. All files at head office have been digitised and we've done away with traditional loyalty cards and physical pamphlets in favour of an app which allows our customers to receive news, offers and updates digitally instead, massively reducing the amount of paper we use and helping keep more trees in the ground where they help remove pollutants such as carbon dioxide (CO²) from the atmosphere.
Happy Earth Day!
If you're interested in investing in an Earth-friendly franchise like Cafe2U, click here for more information.
