MP praises Morpeth coffee business's green credentials
Anne-Marie Trevelyan, MP for Berwick-upon-Tweed and Energy Minister, visited Northumberland coffee business Caribe Coffee outside Morpeth this week to learn more about the efforts they are taking to improve their sustainability.
Caribe Coffee is a family run business started by Wilmer and Elle Carcamo in Fairmoor, north of Morpeth. They are supporters of the Together For Our Planet (TFOP) small business campaign, and have joined the Race to Zero.
Wilmer and Elle showed Ms Trevelyan around their premises, and talked to her about the steps they have already taken, such as ensuring that all their farmers use environmentally sensitive farming.
In future, they are also aiming to use completely home compostable and biodegradable packaging rather than recyclable packaging they currently use.
Other steps they have taken include:
- Switching to a 100% renewable energy provider.
- Offering refill coffee to their local customers with their click and collect shop to reduce packaging.
- Adding a tips section to their check out that raises funds that go directly to the farmers and their families. These funds provide equipment to improve farming practices.
- Donating to the WWF for every Christmas gift pack bought.
- Setting up a bird feeding station at the roastery.
Speaking of her visit, Anne-Marie said:
“It was great to be able to visit this wonderful local business with my Energy Minister hat on, and to hear about the steps Wilmer and Elle have taken to limit their impact on the environment and to reduce emissions. They join thousands of other businesses across the UK who are playing their part in our efforts to combat climate change as we head towards Net Zero. We can all take small steps to make our homes and businesses more sustainable. These are often measures which save businesses and customers money as well as helping to reduce our environmental impact. A lot of small businesses I speak to want to make a difference but are unsure where to start. The new Together for Our Planet resources available are a great starting point.”
Photos: Rt Hon Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP, Minister of State for Energy and Clean Growth, and UK Champion for Adaptation and Resilience for the COP26 Climate Summit meeting Wilmer and Elle Carcamo of Caribe Coffee in Morpeth
Together For Our Planet small business campaign – key facts
- This year, the UK will host the UN climate change conference (COP26), asking world leaders to work together to deliver urgent global climate action. As part of this, small businesses from across the UK are invited to join the green business revolution and commit to becoming more sustainable.
- The objectives of the campaign are to:
- Raise awareness of climate change among small businesses & consumers
- Encourage uptake of specific actions to reduce emissions, supporting UK’s 2050 target
- Generate place-based interest & press coverage ahead of COP26 in Glasgow.
- By November, the aim is for as many UK small businesses as possible to join the ‘Race to Zero’ – a global effort to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases we all generate to zero by 2050
- Taking action on climate change will help businesses to grow, seize new opportunities and adapt against the challenges of a changing planet. Reducing emissions can lower businesses’ running costs, save them money, and attract new customers who want to shop sustainably.
- As the world starts to recover from the Coronavirus pandemic, businesses have an opportunity to recover cleaner, rebuild greener and emerge better equipped for the future.
- Many small and micro businesses across the UK are keen to tackle climate change but find it difficult to know how or where to start. The first step these businesses can take is to visit our new digital platform and sign up to the globally recognised small business climate commitment. Here small and micro businesses can also get help and advice on how to be greener and save money.
- The new digital platform is embedded on the existing SME Climate Hub, which is part of the global Race to Zero campaign. It brings a much-needed UK focus to an otherwise high level, international campaign.
- Signing up allows businesses to publicly commit to becoming greener, plan the steps they will take to get there, show customers they are serious about climate, and help to start a green business movement.
More information: https://businessclimatehub.org/uk/