Sustainability one sip at a time

How do you like your coffee? A question I get asked daily. As a self-confessed coffee addict, truthfully, I’m not that bothered, as long as I’ve got that hot cup of Joe in my hand.

As the hotter months are upon us, I can’t help but get excited by the new iced coffee possibilities I know will blow my one-track mind! But with that icy, frothy, dream, we all know (but maybe ignore) that there’s going to be a consequence… the plastic. Our world is drowning in a sea of plastic, with an estimation of more plastic than fish by 2050 it’s a real concern for us all. Of course, there’s an easy solution, reusable cups.

If you’re anything like me you’ll have a place in your heart for that favourite mug that you know will always meet your coffee and tea desires, but do we have the same love for our travel mugs? It’s been the mission of many over the last few years to change a nation's mind on the disposable cup. Only time will tell if we can solve our own throw-away culture.

The ease of disposable plastic and paper coffee cups is one that is too easy for us all to fall back on, as proved by the 16 billion paper coffee and 500 billion plastic cups thrown away each year. Yet, the days of the disposable are numbered. As expected, with any big change, there is always resistance but with more options than ever, it will soon be a vague distant memory (we hope!).

The reusable cup industry is booming. New thrilling alternatives are making it a breeze to ditch those disposables and bring on the future! Companies like cup club are giving us that chance to join the reusable revolution in favour of saving the planet and our wallets.

With coffee giants Starbucks and Costa jumping on the reusable bandwagon, there is a plethora of choice, from the ‘clever cup’, a contactless mug, to the Starbucks tumbler collection arriving just in time for the summer months, there’s a better option than using yet another single-use cup.

Costa are taking their sustainability practices one step further, partnering with waste management experts Valpak, Costa has promised to recycle as many cups as it sells by 2020! With the majority of sustainability practices making promises for 2025 and beyond, Costa deserves special credit!

Sustainability is more than just a trend, it’s a necessity. It’s the way the world is moving, and you don’t want to be left behind. ‘But it’s not that easy, I need to know more!’ I can hear you all cry in exasperation. However, the team at TLC Marketing have put together all the information you need in a handy green book, which can be downloaded here.

So let’s wave goodbye to those pesky disposables and embrace the future together.