Loving cuppa
Say hello to a feel good coffee: this year we’ve replaced plastic lined cups with fully compostable alternatives. We’ve proudly partnered with the endlessly innovative Decent Packaging, whose products are made completely from plants. That means not a single element of the cup is wasted - all you have to do is pop your cup and lid in the colour-coded bins once you’re done with them. Decent Packaging will then turn discarded materials into organic compost within twelve weeks. “I believe the only way we’re going to see the reduction of waste we need to is by simplifying sustainability,” says Decent founder Tony Small. “Packaging made from plants doesn't just reduce the impacts plastic has on the environment - it creates a circular economy that ties in with our food waste, allowing us to compost pretty much everything.”
Ground control
Building a circular economy: that’s the holy grail of sustainability, and the motivating force behind all our partners including Percol/Lofbergs, who have come on board this year with their amazing Ground 2 Ground recycling scheme. The visionary coffee group want to ensure a positive end of life for the seven tonnes of grounds produced at The London Coffee Festival. “Coffee is for life-doers and we want to do all we can to make sure the drink we love is produced, packaged and disposed of in a sustainable way,” says Percol’s social media & campaigns manager, Aaron McFarlane.
To do this, they’ll be collecting all the used coffee grounds disposed at the twenty drop-off bins dotted around the festival. The collected grounds will then be composted at a local facility, transforming what should have been a waste product, into 150 bags of agricultural and commercial plant fertilisers. Some of those coffee grounds will even be turned into organic beauty products, a huge feat for the circular economy.
Every drop counts
Alongside these new composting schemes, we’ll be working with BRITA to minimise water waste by providing each stand with one pre-filled water can, which exhibitors can refill at self-service filtration stations across the venue. As always, we’ll also be encouraging festival-goers to bring their own cups, or purchase a reusable SoL Cup (our official partner) with a 20% discount on all merchandise at the onsite shop when you show your cup.
We’d like to extend a big thank you to our forward-thinking partners and all the conscientious coffeelovers, who are helping us reach our goals. We’re already well on our way.