Becoming more accountable, producing less waste

At a large company like Tchibo with many locations and employees, a certain level of waste is inevitable. Handling this waste in a responsible way is important to us, and we employ various procedures to do just that.

Keeping the cycle in motion – Recycling at Tchibo

Recycling contributes greatly to environmental protection, and we use this tool in numerous respects. For example, customers can hand in used and rechargeable batteries to us. We work together with the “Foundation for a Collective Battery Return System” (GRS) to properly recycle these materials.

In 2010, we accepted approximately 797 tonnes of used electrical devices in Germany alone and subsequently delivered these to the appropriate local collection points to be recycled. Of course, we also fulfil the requirements of the EU’s “Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment” and “Restriction of Hazardous Substances” directives. Both sets of regulations are aimed at lowering the amount of electric and electronic waste as well as the quantity of hazardous materials in electrical devices.

Administration and shops: Waste generated at our locations

Paper and cardboard are materials which we use on a day-to-day basis at Tchibo. Yet plastics and glass also play a role. Over the course of their lifecycle, we want the products we distribute to produce as little waste as possible.

Turning the page – Tchibo scales back its use of paper

Thanks to digital computer technology, we already carry out many processes and operations without the use of paper, written correspondence in particular. In other cases, we use recycled materials whenever possible. In 2010, about 44 per cent of the office paper used in our administrative and shop locations and in our German depots was recycled or FSC^®certified paper. This is a step in the right direction, but we believe that we still have room for improvement – through limiting our paper use and by using more environmentally friendly paper.

In 2010, the European Parliament passed the revised FLEGT Action Plan. The programme aims to stop the sale of wood and wood products which stem from illegal origins. Tchibo lives up to the regulations in the action plan, requiring wood providers to prove that their goods come from legal sources. We are continuing to develop our standards in this regard in cooperation with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

Heating fuel can be a by-product: Waste from roasting coffee

Coffee roasting also causes waste, which mainly consists of the remains of packaging materials. Another type of waste is the silver skin known as chaff which coffee beans release during the roasting process. To put this waste in a more manageable form, we compress it into pellets by adding water. Removal services currently take the material to compost areas, or it is sold as a heating fuel.

One for all: Our packaging guidelines

We are currently only able to collect a limited amount of information on the form and magnitude of waste resulting from the suppliers of our commodities. However, we always take care to contractually oblige all of our suppliers to follow our packaging guidelines. These rules ensure that our suppliers use less material and guarantee that packaging is highly recyclable.

Our purchasing department employees are required to take aspects of environmental protection into consideration when they select suppliers for indirect goods and services. This is bindingly specified in our Code of Conduct for employees.

Waste at Tchibo locations (2010)

Waste at warehouse locations run by service providers (2010)

Use of paper at administrative and shop locations (2008-2010)