We put our Environmental Commitment at the forefront of everything we do. We see sustainable business practices as being our responsibility, not a box-ticking exercise. We look for and instil environmental conscientiousness within our team, inviting collaboration and involvement in our Eco Solutions, making it a living and breathing part of our business and not just a page on our website.
We’re committed to becoming more sustainable as we grow, continually evaluating the environmental impact of our products and services to ensure that we’re always ahead of the game and trailblazing eco-friendly business practices.
We’re proud to be carbon neutral plus and ISO 14001 accredited and our Environmental Commitment below outlines the Eco Solutions we implement within Espresso Solutions:
Machine Parts
Machine parts for coffee grinders and espresso machines are the largest part of our business. We work with a network of engineers around the UK and supply them with the parts they need to repair and maintain the coffee machine equipment. We believe that by providing excellent quality parts to trained engineers, we are preserving the life of machines for as long as possible, therefore reducing the need for machines to ever be replaced.
Packaging
Orders are packaged into 100% recyclable cardboard boxes made from 70% recycled material. Our box filler is made from shredded cardboard boxes; from all of the cardboard that we would have otherwise recycled and from the cardboard destined for landfill/recycling from some of the businesses in our estate. Our warehouse is completely polystyrene free, except for any polystyrene packaging we receive from customers which we will reuse to maximise its life before it’s sent to landfill.
Wherever possible for smaller orders, we use 100% recyclable FSC paper Jiffy green bags in place of cardboard parcels as they use less packaging. Our parts bags are 100% biodegradable and made from 30% recycled material.
PAPER
We use only 100% recycled, non-bleached paper. 100% recycled paper uses 100% less wood, 83% less water, 72% less energy and 53% less CO2 than regular paper. Across our office and our warehouse, this saves at least 336kg of wood, 4860 litres of water, 870 kWh of energy and 72kg of CO2 per year. We use a paperless picking system in the warehouse and this year, we have introduced digital delivery notes, eliminating the need for a paper copy to be included in your order.
Energy
We use 100% renewable energy and we are always working to reduce the amount of energy used within our office and warehouse. We’re achieving this by upgrading to more energy-efficient equipment and by switching off equipment whenever possible. We have energy-efficient LED lighting in our office and timed, motion-sensor lighting throughout the building to ensure lights are never left on unnecessarily.
Recycling
You’ll find recycling bins throughout our office and warehouse to ensure that as much waste is recycled from our building as possible. We use rechargeable batteries throughout our office and warehouse and we also have a battery recycling point in our building for any batteries that are not rechargeable. We collect and recycle all of our printer cartridges through Zero Waste Recycling, who either regenerate for reuse or recycles 100% of the cartridges we send.
WATER FILTER CARTRIDGE
RECYCLING SCHEME
We work with one of our key water filter partners to offer a recycling scheme to all of our customers. Any water filter cartridge, from any manufacturer, can be returned to us, free of charge. The collected cartridges are then returned to our partner where the resin inside is regenerated and the plastic casing is melted down to be made into new cartridge casings. To learn more about the scheme and to arrange delivery of your used filters, click here.
Water Pollution
We reduce our water pollution from the building by using eco-friendly cleaning products wherever possible. The cleaning range that we use is free from toxic chemicals, including chlorine bleaches, synthetic dyes and perfumes, petroleum-derived additives and formaldehyde. By switching to eco-friendly cleaning products, we reduce these chemicals going into our ecosystems. We have also installed Hippo bags in our staff toilets to reduce the amount of water waste from the building.
EV's
We committed to a fully electric fleet in 2019 when we traded in our transit van for a fully electric VW e-Transporter. We have installed an EV charger at our office which is free for our team to use, to encourage EV/PHEV ownership and as of 2023, 30% of our team drive a fully electric vehicle (we think that’s pretty impressive)!
Communication
Our Eco Solutions program involves every member of our team; we welcome their ideas and suggestions and we ensure that our environmental mission is communicated to every team member so that they become an environmentally conscious part of our business. We have a dedicated Sustainability Officer within the business who audits the processes within the business and incorporates more environmentally friendly methods wherever possible. This means that from the office to the warehouse, we are switching to greener processes, equipment and materials.
Delivery Options &
Couriers
We work with 4 UK delivery partners: Hived (currently only available within the M25), DPD, DHL & Royal Mail and we also offer our customers the option to collect their orders in person. The idea behind this is to offer our customers the most convenient option for them, some might love their local DPD courier, whilst others prefer their local DHL service. Each of the couriers we use has their own green credentials but we offset each and every parcel, making every parcel delivery carbon neutral, no matter the courier.
