LINCOLN, CA, UNITED STATES, USA – San Francisco Bay Coffee, a leading purveyor of quality coffee, is proud to announce that they are Zero Waste Certified for the second year in a row. The achievement of silver certification means that 94% of waste created at San Francisco Bay Coffee’s facility is transported to compost fields or recycling centers. That’s 94% of waste not going into landfills.
Underwriters Labs (UL) is a respected third-party testing and validation entity for sustainable practices. Their Zero Waste to Landfill (ZWTL) environmental claim validations recognize companies that handle waste in environmentally responsible and innovative ways. Silver status is awarded to facilities with a 90% to 94% landfill diversion rate.
The zero waste journey for San Francisco Bay Coffee began in 2016 when they started tracking their waste and working to divert as much of it away from landfills as possible.
At that time, San Francisco Bay Coffee produced approximately 624 tons of waste annually, with nearly 500 tons (almost 80%) going to landfill. Believing they could do better, San Francisco Bay Coffee began focusing on making meaningful and sustainable changes to their production processes, including the raw materials they used.
It started by segregating the different types of waste that were generated. Clearly marked receptacles were deployed throughout the facility where specific materials could be deposited, preventing waste streams from mixing. San Francisco Bay Coffee asked its suppliers to increase accessibility to compostable, recyclable, or reusable packaging materials. They also began designing their product packaging with sustainability in mind. This commitment to change propelled San Francisco Bay Coffee to go from 80% of its waste being sent to landfills to only 6% in just five years.
Attaining recertification is a hard-won accomplishment, and San Francisco Bay Coffee is committed to maintaining its current 94% level. However, they’re also already exploring ways to eliminate waste that reaches landfills even further.
Dipping below 6% waste is a difficult challenge, but San Francisco Bay Coffee is determined to make every effort to reduce remaining waste as much as possible. For next year, their goal is to decrease waste by another .5-1%.
