As the world gradually becomes more eco-conscious, New Zealand’s iconic coffee brand Coffee Supreme have ensured they will play their part. Introducing a new recycling programme, the brand will see Kiwi cafes recycle all Coffee Supreme coffee bags and Instant sachets, in order to make New Zealand’s coffee industry the world’s most sustainable.

Coffee Supreme’s recycling programme was co-created with partners Terracycle, a recycling business that has adapted the coffee’s original packaging to an eco-friendly alternative. For the cafes that use Coffee Supreme, the process of throwing away packaging has become a lot easier and sustainable. Café owners are now able to either ship the Coffee Supreme packaging to Terracycle, or if in the city centre, can be picked up by a Supreme team member.

Coffee Supreme drinkers are also able to drop their empty packaging to a Coffee Supreme café in Christchurch or Wellington for free, or at the brand’s Auckland HQ. Coffee Supreme’s CEO Al Keating says the recyclable packaging programme is a game changer and the brand are proud to be using it.

“From now, no Coffee Supreme bean will ever be carried in non-recyclable plastic packaging when it leaves us to go to our customers,” Keating says.

“Beyond making our own packaging recyclable, we want all coffee roasteries to get on board and we’re here to help anyone who’s keen to make the switch – they just need to reach out.”

Instead of typically ending up in a land fill, the recyclable packaging can now be recycled into garden beds and outdoor furniture, using the TerraCycle recycling programme. As more than 300 cafes throughout the country supply coffee supreme, the movement should see a significant decline of plastic entering landfills.

TerraCycle’s General Manager Jean Bailliard says Kiwis are both avid coffee drinkers and enthusiastic recyclers, making the programme an ideal partnership for both companies.

“New Zealanders love looking after the environment and love coffee. Our new recycling programme allows them to have both without guilt,” Bailliard says.

“We will reuse, upcycle and recycle the waste instead of incinerating or landfilling it. This moves waste from a linear system to a circular one, allowing it to keep cycling in our economy.”