It’s December the 1st. Six months since we said no to single use coffee cups in our cafes.

As a result of that ban, we’ve prevented over 81,500 disposable coffee cups from going into landfill. That tots up to 86 cubic meters of landfill space, the equivalent of an articulated lorry.

The money we’re saving (because we don’t have to buy single use cups any more) is being donated to local community causes. To date £8.1k has been raised which will be donated to a charity chosen by each cafe team. For example, Plymouth beach clean volunteers will be supplied with equipment they need for their teams. All charities are listed here

Plymouth Beach Clean Volunteers

It’s you, our amazing customers that we have to thank. Anita, our Brand Director said,

“Our customers have been incredible both online and in cafes. The feeling in our cafes is very different in the morning. Far from being a routine on the way to work, everyone’s now happy about their morning coffee, doing something good for the planet and giving to a local charity, all before the day begins! We are calling you our everyday heroes”

Another brilliant part of this change has been the reaction from our wonderful team. They jumped right in and were all on board with the message from day one, even though there were times when it made their jobs that little bit trickier.

Our awesome team

As much as it’s been a good news story, with loads of support from across the world, we knew this wouldn’t be an overnight success.

We knew we were risking £1 million of business, and our takeaway hot drink sales have fallen by 24%, but thankfully with that, you’ve been taking the time to stop, take a moment and enjoy your coffee in our beautiful cafes. Let’s not forget how hot that summer was – even the most die hard coffee drinkers were swapping to smoothies!

The next step? It’s up to you. Show other businesses that sustainable change is not only possible, it’s a model for success. Choose companies that are limiting their impact on our planet, and always carry your reusable.

We’d also like to give a big shout out to these guys for going single use free:
Gloucester University
The Bristol Hotel
Windmill City Farm
Canteen West Group Bristol
Baltrzersens
Star Anais
Grindsmiths
The Little Bakehouse
All Scottish government buildings
Waitrose