WHY WE USE SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING
Plastic pollution is one of the largest environmental threats facing humans and animals globally. The United Nations has declared the plastic pollution of oceans
“a planetary crisis.”
This is a problem not only for humanity but for all aquatic life.
Our oceans are choking with plastic. Plastic has been found in hundreds of marine species, from whales to sea birds, and the problem is only getting worse as they take up to 400 years to decompose.
If we don't take action now by 2050,
there could be more plastics in the ocean than fish.
Coffee packaging is designed to be single-use and is used once and discarded. Even if you live hundreds of miles from the coast, the plastic you throw away could make its way into the sea.
80% of the plastic in our seas and oceans is from land sources.
Source: WWF
10 Million Tonnes of Plastic are dumped in our oceans every year
This disposed plastic ends up in our seas and oceans affecting more than 800 species of the sea creatures we love – Fish, seabirds, sea turtles, and marine mammals become entangled in or ingest plastic causing suffocation, starvation, and drowning.
Source: UN Report
Over 56
billion coffee capsules go to landfills every year
It is estimated more than 56 billion coffee capsules will go to landfills each year according to Halo.
Over 95% of coffee capsules are plastic and aluminum which take up to 500 years to degrade once in the landfill damaging our planet.
Source: Halo Coffee
BAN SINGLE-USE PLASTIC
Every single country is part of the plastic crisis and must be part of the solution.
Kenya successfully implemented a ban on single-use plastic and to-date over 170 nations have a full or partial ban on single-use plastic in place but more has to be done.
Plastic contamination in the oceans might not be irreversible however we can target the causes of plastic pollution and limit it. If we can do this, then this is one climate change action that can be resolved in our generation.
“If citizens can work with their governments to end such a ubiquitous source of pollution, then we can move on to even bigger, more demanding climate targets".
President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya.
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."
Margaret Mead
LE GOT DES CARRIÈRES AU KENYA
Earth, our home, faces a crisis driven by the destruction of our forests, our excessive reliance on fossil fuels (such as gas, coal, and oil), our choices regarding food and transportation, and the pollution of our oceans with plastics.
Big changes start with small steps.
We are not about guilt activism but for individual responsibility.
If you have reviewed the information on the impact of single-use plastic and are committed to change then join the fight against plastic pollution by considering the following actions:
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REDUCE - Single-use plastic is a major cause of pollution as it is used once and discarded. Consider reducing your use of single-use packaging such as disposable cups, plastic coffee packaging, plastic straws, and stirrers.
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REUSE - Consider using coffee food packaging that can be reused such as eco-friendly coffee cups, travel mugs and coffee packaging made from sustainable materials.
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RECYCLE - Select compostable coffee food packaging that can be recycled in either the food bin or general recycling over packaging that cannot be recycled.
Want to learn more, click on these tips to reduce your plastic waste.
USEFUL LINKS:
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Why we need to stop using single-use plastic - Next Generation Science video on the problem with single-use plastic. YouTube. (3 mins)
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Join Kenya's campaign for a sustainable environment to ban single-use plastic and save our oceans. #KenyaPlasticsPact
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Measure your Carbon Footprint to make informed choices that consider the climate and environment using the WWF calculator here.
CARBON LITERACY
Taste of Kenya team based in the UK has completed certification on carbon literacy.
This means we are committed to reducing our carbon footprint in the following areas:
1. COFFEE FOOTPRINT - Supplying a farm to fork solution that links farmers with direct market access to coffee buyers. This ensures the coffee we sell has the lowest possible footprint and is fair and sustainably sourced.
2. ENVIRONMENT FOOTPRINT - We have created new value chains and business models based on resources and waste optimization by supplying our coffee in packaging that can be reused and recycled.
3. CARBON LITERACY FOOTPRINT - We will endeavor to measure, track and continuously educate our staff to become a carbon literate workforce. As part of our social mission, we will provide information to our customers on how to make informed and sustainable food choices that consider the climate, environment, and social aspects of food production.
We believe every little effort helps towards carbon reduction as stated by one of our favourite
swahili wise sayings below:
USEFUL WEBSITES ON THE CLIMATE CRISIS:
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The Plastic Problem - A PBS NewsHour Documentary on YouTube. (1 hour).
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Climate Change: The Facts - BBC Documentary on YouTube. (1 hour)
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Earth's lungs are failing! - BBC Documentary on Deforestation. YouTube. (5 mins)
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Carbon Literacy Project - https://carbonliteracy.com
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The Carbon Map - https://www.carbonmap.org
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Carbon Footprint Calculator - https://footprint.wwf.org.uk/#/
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Ellen MacArthur Foundation (Circular Economy) - https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org
"Haba na haba hujaza kibaba".
"Little by little fills up the measure".
IMPACT OF DEFORESTATION
The main driver of climate change is green house gas emissions. Forests are climate regulators of carbon dioxide however we have been losing forest cover through deforestation
(cutting down of trees).
To see the impact of deforestation have a look at the satellite map below. Once loaded the areas in pink will depict forest cover lost due to deforestation. When we clear forests we release stored carbon into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide which contributes to climate change.
This tool from the Global Forest Watch was prepared by University of Maryland & Google researchers to monitor forest disturbance. This is the current view depicting forest loss with satellite imagery refreshed daily from Sentinel 2 (European Space Agency)
and Landsat 8 (U.S. Geological Survey).
