Social and Environmental Initiatives

We're very proud of our social and environmental initiatives. As a company dedicated to social and environmental responsibility, we feel that our commitment should be reflected in everything we do. Please read on to learn more!

Grounds for Health

Grounds for Health

Swiss Water Decaffeinated Coffee Co. is a Gold Cup Supporter of Grounds for Health (GFH), an international non-profit organization founded to provide women's health care services to coffee growing communities in Mexico and Central America. Its primary focus is on the early detection of cervical cancer, a leading cause of death among women in these areas.

Cervical cancer is amongst the easier cancers to treat, if detected early. In North America, we take pre-screening as a normal part of our annual healthcare program. In many coffee growing countries, this procedure is not even known. Grounds for Health has teams of volunteers visit coffee growing communities to perform cancer screenings and provide additional testing for women found to have abnormalities.  To date, Grounds for Health has provided screening for more than 11,000 women and over the course of a campaign sees between 100 - 200 patients per day.  GFH volunteer medical professionals have opened two dysplasia clinics and now make three yearly visits to screen patients and train local doctors.

Through Grounds for Health's first-hand experience we know that investing in solutions for cervical cancer will end its reign as the number one cause of cancer deaths in women in Latin America and contributes to the good health, empowerment and dignity of women in coffee-growing communities.  Specialty coffee-related businesses enjoy the prospect of being the leading industry whose private companies' contributions demonstrate the power to do public good.

We believe in giving back to the coffee growing community by supporting a cause that is both relevant and valued by our customers and employees.  As such, we have regular employee fundraising activities in support of Grounds for Health, and each year we make an annual donation.

Organic Certification

The 100% chemical free SWISS WATER® decaffeination process can be used to produce certified organic decaf coffee, as its certified by Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA), in accordance with National Organic Program (NOP) standards.  

Environmental Program

Swiss Water's environmental program is defined by the 5 R's:

REDUCE the amount of waste we produce.
RECYCLE instead of throwing items away.
REUSE items like burlap bags and paper.
Be RESPONSIBLE for our actions.
RESPECT the environment and all living things.   

Company-Wide Recycling

We re-bag most of our outgoing decaf coffee into the original bags, reducing our need to use additional packaging. In instances where the original bags are not suitable for reuse, we recycle them to be manufactured into other packaging.  In addition, all employees are actively involved in our company-wide recycling program, which encompasses paper, plastics, cardboard, metals, and glass.

Composting

All dust or chaff that is removed from the beans as a result of our pre and post cleaning process is directed to a local compost facility.

Printed Materials

Where possible, our printed materials and brochures make use of the most environmentally friendly stock available. We often use 100% recyclable, chlorine free paper that is partly composed of post-consumer waste.