Polygreen and everest join forces and launch Just Go Zero Coffee, a pioneering circular economy program concerning coffee, which includes the complete recycling and utilization of its residues. It is a sustainable model of coffee consumption since through a circular process the spent coffee grounds come back to life without ending up in landfills.
Through Just Go Zero Coffee, coffee follows a completely circular route. Initially Polygreen collects the spent coffee grounds created in Everest stores and then transfers them to its processing plants in Megara, Attica, where they are composted and converted into a soil improver, offered to producers in the region. At the same time, a part of the quantity is converted into a raw material from which utilitarian items are produced for everest stores by the company Phee.
The aim of the program is to eliminate coffee waste through a fully circular management, but also to encourage even more businesses in the sector to integrate the principles of circular economy into their operation. It is worth noting that tens of thousands of tons of coffee residues are produced every year in our country, each of which releases into the atmosphere 340 cubic meters of methane, one of the most important factors that contribute to the phenomenon of climate change.
Polygreen has recently announced the first “movement” of circular economy in Greece “Just Go Zero”, which designs and implements innovative recycling solutions, in the first phase with businesses and local communities, and has as its mission the circular management of waste and the cultivation of a new environmental culture, through targeted actions of education and awareness of the public.
“Our partnership with everest is a very important moment in our journey to implement circular waste management solutions, as it creates an example for other businesses, initially in the field of coffee and catering, but in a second year and in other categories, for a zero waste operation. Our vision at Polygreen is that at some point the ‘waste’ will only be found as exhibits in museums and, true to our commitment, we will continue to work steadily to make it happen.”, stated Athanasios Polychronopoulos, Founder and CEO of Polygreen.
“The creation of a coffee residue collection network was an idea we were exploring at everest before the pandemic. We managed to design it in collaboration with Polygreen and introduce it to our stores in the particularly difficult conditions of lockdowns.
From the very beginning we aimed to facilitate the process of integrating other services in this network, starting from Athens and hoping to expand throughout Greece. After all, it is our firm belief that we have an obligation to use our size and know-how to contribute to the general good.
We therefore invite all catering professionals to be informed and join this effort. We, for our part, are committed to trying to make the protection of the environment better and better by taking initiatives that will prove in practice our commitment.”, said Katerina Papageorgiou, Chief Operating Officer of Vivartia’s Catering Group.