With the growing demand for greener practices for in-room hospitality, the demand for more sustainable coffee choices, including packaging, continues to grow. There is no denying single-serve capsules are here to stay, and with that in mind, the Arbor Day Coffee program has taken extra steps to minimize their impact on the planet by providing a recycling program to hospitality locations purchasing shade-grown Arbor Day Coffee.
Arbor Day Coffee is well known to be focused on roasting shade-grown coffee, yet what most may not know is their recent efforts in launching a recycling program for single-serve capsules, specifically catering to the hospitality industry.
Arbor Day coffee single-serve capsules are made with recyclable plastics, along with the lid made of recyclable aluminum material. The spent coffee grounds are then composted into soil at the final recycling and composting facility. All components of the capsule are recycled, leaving zero-waste for hotels.
The beauty of this program lies in its simplicity. The capsules are collected in a lined recycling box which includes an attached, pre-paid return shipping label, which minimizes preparation for hotels, creating an easy process for staff to adopt in their routine. Once the box is full, it is sealed and sent to the recycling service for processing.
For in-room coffee service at hotels, guests can simply leave used capsule either in or next to the machine, depending on the preference of the hotel. Cleaning staff can then collect and deliver spent coffee capsules to the recycling box which is normally stored with the rest of the recycled waste products. In an office or lobby environment, the recycling box can be positioned near the coffee maker for easy capsule collection.
For over twenty years, the Arbor Day Foundation has supported coffee farmers who participate in traditional, shade-grown coffee production, and have since made additional investments in planting trees, protecting water resources, and improving coffee quality by being directly involved throughout each of their entire coffee supply chains.
2050, half the land currently available for coffee will no longer be suitable for production. As global temperatures rise, coffee will seek cooler climates at higher elevations, drastically increasing the rate of deforestation. Additionally, it has been projected that consumption demands will double within the same timeframe.
The future of coffee is concerning, which has driven the Arbor Day Coffee program to act quickly, in both their recycling efforts and investing in sourcing sustainable shade grown coffees. The Arbor Day Foundation works directly with coffee producers that have committed to continuing exceptional agroforestry management practices, such as integrating shade trees in coffee production, repairing buffer zones and restoring at-risk native forests.
Providing Shade Grown coffee is an important step, and by taking care of the impact within our consuming communities to help curb waste, the Foundation helps participate by closing an important loop of responsibility and stewardship to our planet. The Arbor Day Coffee program is excited to engage in this massive recycling endeavor with all new and existing clients within the hospitality industry who are interested in participating.
To learn more on how your hotel can participate in the Arbor Day Coffee Recycling Program, contact (402) 817-9991 or email jferguson@arborday.org
Jon Ferguson is a seasoned coffee quality specialist for the Arbor Day Foundation with over 15 years of roasting and coffee sourcing experience. Ferguson is a licensed Q-Grader and the current North Central Regional Coordinator for the Specialty Coffee Association U.S. Chapter. He remains intimately involved with the Arbor Day coffee providers in Colombia, Peru, Nicaragua, and Mexico, where he regularly visits the cooperatives and estate farms on a regular basis.
