vida e mundo simply means ‘life and the world.’ As a brand that is making strides in reducing its environmental footprint, we continue to remain committed to prioritising responsible production and consumption goals as part of our journey to ensure a more sustainable world.
With coffee as the number one product sold across our 260+ store network, we set our sights on the biggest single-use packaging item in the business back in 2019 – the takeaway coffee cup and lid. Half a trillion disposable cups are manufactured annually around the world; that is over 70 disposable cups for every person on the planet every year. In a bid to provide conscious consumers with an additional sustainable option alongside our reusable cup, we worked with our supplier on piloting the world’s first ever one hundred percent biodegradable and compostable paper cups and moulded fibre lids which were rolled out from November 2019 and have since been available both nationwide and internationally in all vida e caffè stores. Since then, we have managed to save over 83 TONNES of plastic from ending up in landfills.
We remain at the forefront of the coffee industry in South Africa in terms of innovation. The paper cups are coated with a lining made from cornstarch as opposed to using a plastic inner-lining making them biodegradable and compostable. The moulded fibre lids are made from natural plant fibres making them biodegradable and compostable. The waste from the paper cups and moulded fibre lids, together with recycled newspaper and other paper waste is used to make the moulded fibre cup carriers resulting in a product that is entirely made from waste material. Both the cup, lid and cup carriers are produced locally by our supplier DARTPAC ensuring a low carbon footprint.
Adding to our vida e mundo movement, our coffee capsules are also made up of materials that are fully recyclable. We offer our stores as a location for you to return used coffee capsules to be recycled. At the end of the day, we gather our surplus food which gets donated to numerous charities, limiting food wastage. You will also find that the straws you use in your Smoothies or classic Frio’s are PLA and are 100% compostable and biodegradable! Every sustainable step counts.
The conscious consumer movement is becoming more powerful as each day passes and purchasing decisions are more considered than ever before. we will continue to work tirelessly to inspire the next generation of coffee lovers to live a more sustainable and eco-friendly life by providing greener options at every available opportunity.
Ps, In collaboration with Old Khaki we’re hosting another beach clean-up with Clean C and this time we’ll be making our way back to Muizenberg beach.
Our hope is to encourage everyone to reduce consumption of single-use plastic (which often lands up in our oceans and beaches) and make small steps to improvement. Let’s be better together! Join us:
- Muizenberg beach. Meet in front of the colourful huts opposite vida e caffè.
- Saturday, 13 August 2022. Registration starts at 9:00am.
- Bring your own reusable cup for a free caffè on us!
- Prizes to be won from vida e caffè and Old Khaki.
The journey continues, Obrigado!
