Espressotec and the Environment

Espressotec, as an organization and our staff, as individuals, are mindful of the effect that today's actions have not only in the present, but more importantly, on the future. The individual parts we play in our lives are critical to preserving the earth's resources for our future and that of our children. It is the responsibility of every employee to incorporate the practices of informed stewardship in daily life. Waste, whether produced in the office, shipping department, or at home, represents an environmental and economic inefficiency. As consumers of the earth's resources we consider it our responsibility to reduce and eventually eliminate the environmental impact of our business (our carbon footprint). Cleaner air, soil and water make for a better place to live. Not to mention, we are blessed to live in a beautiful area of the world and we like it that way; blue sky, the Pacific Ocean , a backdrop of coastal mountains and we are situated on the important Pacific Flyway (that's birds). The transition to an environmentally conscious business is a philosophy that drives our commitment to sustainability. We are trying to make a small difference and lead by example.

We have always consumed resources to a level reasonably needed, and we reuse wherever practicable. We dispose of products intelligently, and recycle those products that can be re-utilized economically in a different form. We also recognize, however, that recycling is not without costs, and that some recycling processes consume more resources than they save. Here is what we are doing at present (and just as importantly, have been substantially doing for many years, since we first started in business in 1988).

Striving for Sustainability

in our Products

We attempt to carry only high-quality products and the durability of our products should allow their use for many years to come. All our espresso machines are sourced in Italy - from manufacturers with a strong commitment to the environment and to sustainable manufacturing practices. In addition, we stock a large range of parts to keep your machine running as long as practical. This is one of our most important commitments, providing a longer life-cycle for the products we sell. We will also accept trade-in's on most new machines and will accept any machine that you wish to have us recycle. We currently recycle brass, copper, stainless steel, mild steel and "mixed" (brass and copper). Please e-mail us if you have any questions.

in Our Vehicles

Another way we try to help the environment is to drive smaller fuel-efficient cars. All full-time staff (including the owner) drive fuel-efficient compact 4 cylinder cars. We even use these for most pickups and deliveries. We do own a 6 cylinder van which is occasionally used for large pickups and deliveries and for espresso catering jobs (average 1 fill-up/month). Most of our activities are coordinated by courier, which in theory is much more efficient. All our vehicles (and all vehicles here in the lower mainland must be tested and pass stringent emissions tests annually or bi-annually). We are not perfect: we don't drive hybrids or use the bus as often as we should, but we try to set a reasonable example. If you already know what you want, we encourage you to have your machine delivered (for free) in the lower mainland.

in Packaging

We attempt to reuse all inbound cardboard boxes and the packing material in our incoming orders. Cardboard and cardboard boxes that we cannot use are recycled. Styrofoam peanuts that we receive in packaging from are are re-used in our packaging to you. If we have to buy any peanuts (which we have yet to do), we will make sure they are biodegradable. Because we try to recycle all inbound packaging, our packaging may not look as new and professional as our competitors. We also use our local newspapers as packing material.

We also encourage you to recycle any peanuts and excess packaging shipped to you. Take peanuts to a local postal/packaging store and see if they will recycle them for you. Or save them for your next shipment.in Energy Consumption

Our warehouse showroom is heated by natural gas - a very efficient and clean burning source of heat. We use warehouse ceiling fans to improve heat circulation and efficiency. The showroom, office and warehouse temperatures are controlled by programmable thermostats which set back the temperature to 14 C (57F) after office hours and on weekends. We do not use, nor need, (since we are on the coast) air conditioning. Our espresso machine which fuels us and provides sustenance to the employees during the day is turned off, after hours. All computers are turned off each night. No unnecessary lights are left on at night. Our front security light operates on a photocell. In Vancouver and BC we are very lucky that all our electricity is generated by clean hydro electric generation, however, reducing consumption should always remain a goal.

in Waste Management

To help keep our environment clean, we have made a commitment to a rigorous recycling program. We use our local Blue box program to recycle all paper, small cardboard, tin, aluminum, glass and plastic waste that we generate in the course of doing business.

We sort and recycle metals such as brass, copper, mild steel and stainless steel. Espresso machines not fixable and junked machines are stripped and metal salvaged as best we can and we periodically drop down to our local metal recycler to properly dispose it.

We generate so little waste in our operation; we don't even rent one of those ubiquitous garbage dumpsters that most businesses has. We generate only one large garbage bag per week and pay our business neighbour a small sum to share their bin space.