"Welcome to Five Senses Coffee"

Eco-friendly, sustainable living, environmental footprint — these words have quickly established a place in the common vernacular, and no doubt you’ve noticed an increase in the number of customers seeking assurances that your café uses environmentally friendly products. As the media focus on climate change escalates, it seems likely that consumer demand for sustainable products is set to rise.

One of the easiest ways to improve your green rating is through your choice of takeaway cups. Many of the cups traditionally offered are made with a petroleum-based plastic lining. There are a range of environmentally friendly alternatives which offer a great opportunity for you to flaunt your café’s earth-friendly attitude, and gain an edge over your competitors.

The key things to look for in environmentally friendly cups are compostability, meaning that the packaging will decompose or sustainability, meaning that the cups are made from renewable resources.

One company providing biodegradable, sustainable cups is BioPak. Their BioCups have a fully renewable, certified compostable corn-based lining and use less energy to make than traditional takeaway cups. They provide a full range of environmentally friendly products, from cups, cutlery and takeaway containers to clingwrap and rubbish bags. Find out more at www.easylivinggreenproducts.com.au or contact Debbie on 0414 154 913, or email contact@easylivinggreen.com.au.

There are plenty of other green initiatives that you can implement in your café, both for your own peace of mind and to satisfy your eco-minded customers. To get you started, look into whether you can recycle packaging and milk cartons, investigate renewable power options available in your state (this varies between electricity suppliers), choose biodegradable cleaning products, use local, organic produce and consider composting food waste.