At our site in Nordstemmen, we have already been operating in a climate-neutral manner since 2018. We achieve this primarily by saving emissions. Already since the construction of the building in 2004, we have a rainwater harvesting system for the entire water consumption of the company. In this way, we have a fresh water consumption comparable to a four-person household. Our photovoltaic system theoretically generates all of El Puente's electricity consumption. To support this, we purchase green electricity from Naturstrom AG. Our heating-supporting solar thermal system enables a complete hot water supply. Furthermore, we use the waste heat of a natural biogas plant. Emissions that we have not been able to avoid so far, we compensate by supporting climate projects of the Klima-Kollekte.

When shipping our products, it is not only important to us to protect the fair products well, but also the environment. To this end, we are always searching for materials that ensure good shipping quality and are also particularly sustainable. To this end, we use cardboard boxes made from recycled paper as well as boxes made from 30% grass and 70% recycled paper. Grass is a particularly sustainable and fast-growing raw material. The production of the cardboard boxes is climate neutral. We have optimized the cardboard boxes for our shipping: they have several grooved compartments with which the size of the package can be adjusted. This means that less filling material is required. The adhesive tape is made exclusively of paper up to the load limit. We use recycled paper and bio-compostable bubble wrap based on potato starch as filling material. We also use transparent, compostable cellulose bags for packaging.

More than 20 different Fair Trade coffees from 15 countries are now carbon neutral: from Atitlán coffee from Guatemala to Yha Hauka coffee from Papua New Guinea. As one of the first companies in its sector, El Puente offsets its emissions along the entire coffee supply chain. The cultivation of Fair Trade coffee is per se climate friendly. The vast majority of El Puente coffees are certified organic. The plants grow mostly in mixed cultures. Care, harvesting and processing are mostly done by hand. Our Fair Trade coffee is mainly transported to Germany by container ships. Unfortunately, there are few alternatives to really clean transport. That is why we support an outstanding project. The El Puente Kaffee Ahoi! from Nicaragua is transported to Germany by sailing freighter in an almost climate-neutral way. The remaining emissions are compensated by certified climate projects of the Klima-Kollekte.

Our products are not only fair, but also often particularly sustainable in their production. This is the case for various reasons. For example, around 80 % of our food comes from organic farming. Our coffees are usually grown in mixed cultures. Small farmers tend, harvest and process the coffee beans largely by hand. Just as much handwork goes into our special fair fashion accessories and interior products. Artisans weave baskets, fabrics or make decorative figures. Mostly natural, local or upcycled materials serve as sustainable raw materials.

CO2 emissions cannot be avoided completely in all areas. For the unavoidable emissions calculated by Klima-Kollekte, we support two projects. One is the Gold Standard certified project of our trading partner KCU in Tanzania. As part of this project, energy-efficient stoves made of clay are distributed to members of the coffee cooperative and their families in exchange for a small, symbolic contribution. This is because many households use open cooking stoves with firewood from the forests of Tanzania. This not only leads to heavy smoke in the house and frequent accidents, but also consumes large quantities of firewood. Such a stove ensures greater safety and saves 5.2 tons of CO2 per year. In addition to the project in Tanzania, we also support an offset project in the southern province of Rwanda. Here, too, clay stoves are manufactured and distributed. In addition, water filters could be distributed to the families. In this way, the project not only reduces CO2, but also guarantees access to clean drinking water.

Our products come from more than 100 trading partners from around 40 different countries around the world. Together with our network, we strive to ensure that the fair products reach us in Germany safe and sound and are ecologically packaged at the same time. And that is not so easy. Often, alternative packaging is not accessible to our trading partners or does not offer the right protection for the products on their long journey. This is a problem that can only be solved in the long term, and one that we are continuously working on together with our partners. And that's not all, we want to reduce more and more plastic in the long run, reduce emissions and at the same time achieve fair working and living conditions for people along the entire supply chain together with our network.