Sustainable Entrepreneurship at KoffiePiraat
Green Pirates
Running a Web-based business, like most things in life, has an impact on the environment. At KoffiePiraat, we feel it’s important to do what we can to lower our contributions to climate change. We’ve been hard at work to minimize our impact as much as possible, so we’ve started a green initiative for our small company, to help do our part for the planet.
Paper, not plastic
An important first step for KoffiePiraat was the switch from plastic to paper. In the past, we used plastic film with air to protect our products during shipment. Creating that type of plastic packaging requires a great deal of energy and the carbon emissions that go to generating it. There’s also the recycling aspect. Once the pocket of air is punctured, it’s no longer usable for its original purpose and takes a really long time to biodegrade. Some studies suggest it could take a century just to make a dent. It’s also very difficult to recycle plastic cling film which isn’t biodegradable. So we switched to a good alternative. The paper we use now is cheaper in bulk and ideal for a longer shelf life than the cling film it replaces. Paper also has more secondary uses than the plastic air pillows and can be recycled easily so it’s way better for the environment overall.
Transport
Another area of concern is our delivery methods. Our packages are sent by, among others, the largest postal and parcel company in the Benelux region. PostNL realizes their impact on the environment and have taken steps to address this issue. They are very energy conscious and are driving smarter routes to reduce environmental impact while maintaining their prompt delivery schedules. Together, KoffiePiraat and PostNL are building a greener future through more efficient processes. In the inner city areas, parcels and packages are delivered with emission-free vehicles, electric cargo bikes charged via roofs full of solar panels.
Your order can also be delivered responsibly for DPD Home Delivery. This leading international express package delivery service provider is constantly working on ways to make their operations more sustainable. When the company announced an ambitious plan to reduce its ecological footprint while improving routes and delivery times, we realized they were a perfect partner for KoffiePiraat.
Give boxes a second chance
Where possible, KoffiePiraat reuses boxes. You’ll always get the freshest products but we have so many boxes coming in and going out, we recycle them or reuse them when the opportunity comes up. The shipping boxes aren’t always beautiful, but they are clean and good enough to send out products safely and securely.
Fewer boxes going out
Because of this greener policy, you might receive your Nestcafé Doce Gusto capsules in a Lavazza box. This way, we waste fewer boxes and reduce the cost of using so many new boxes each year. Saving money means we can continue to offer quality coffee products for a good price and great value.
Bulking up
At KoffiePiraat, we understand that online shopping has an impact on the environment. Purchasing our stock in bulk means fewer shipments overall. In this way, we can help lower CO2 emissions when we buy in bulk for our Webshop.
You can do this too, by buying as many items as possible at the same time. This not only saves time but also saves the delivery man an extra trip. Fewer kilometers for delivery means fewer emissions. This is just one of the ways we can work together for a better environment for everyone.