Be-Generative News: Edition 1

Be-Generative News?is a weekly newsletter that explores innovative regenerative solutions, shares updates on Our Kinds' journey to end single-use coffee culture and offers actionable insights for sustainability leaders.

Our Grand Vision

Elimination of single-use products globally – starting with the cup. Every coffee counts.

Ever wondered how many trees are needed to produce the 1.8 billion single-use cups we send to landfills in Australia each year? We can avoid that.

Last week, I attended the AICD ESG Governance Conference to tune into key sustainability issues.

A few relevant points from Minister for the Environment Tanya Plibersek :

• Planting trees to sequester carbon for the carbon offset market.
• Ensuring plantations are not placed on productive farmland.
• Repairing riverbanks, wetlands, and mangroves to produce blue carbon.
• A budget of $1.3 million for recycling initiatives.

While these initiatives are necessary, the Our Kinds movement aims to reduce pressure on these resources by eliminating single-use cups.

Friction points for achieving our 100% reuse model

Our reuse/borrow/#justbringitback concept is simple, but the backend is complex. We’re working to ease eight key friction points:

1. Customer Transition: Keeping customers on board during the switch.
2. Stock Management: Ensuring sufficient reusable stock.
3. Dishwashing: Streamlining the cleaning process.
4. Training: Educating teams on new systems.
5. Recruitment: Attracting and retaining the right talent.
6. Communication: Clear messaging to all stakeholders.
7. Space: Managing physical space for reusables.
8. Cost: Balancing the financials.

COLLABORATION IN ACTION

We’re in the arena, working with key stakeholders to tackle these challenges. Here’s our recent progress:

1. Update Meeting at First Follower Café Little Rokeby, Subiaco

Karen Monaghan , Beth Temperley , Anf Chans ? (who flew in from Sydney) shared Our Kinds progress updates and discussed the challenges for cafés with an esteemed group of early adopters, consumers, corporate reps, café teams, government reps, investors, and technologists.

Feedback was positive, with offers of support across the regulatory, hospitality, and waste supply chain.

Our local MP and Our Kinds champion, Katrina Stratton PhD, MBA , was actively engaged, especially in discussions about how government grants can better support start-ups. We focused on aligning funding with innovation without adding undue risk to founders.

2. Meeting with Dr. Brad Pettitt MLC, Greens

Discussion Overview:

Western Australian Minister for the Environment Reece Whitby recently announced a plan to save over 154 million single-use coffee cups from landfills through regulations requiring cafés to offer only compostable or home-compostable cups.

The challenge with this approach:

Many café owners and consumers mistakenly believe that compostable cups can be placed in recycling or green waste bins, leading to unintended contamination.

I recently received an SMS from a café owner sharing feedback from their environmentally conscious barista, who said:

“A combination of fully compostable cups (ones that can go straight into FOGO bins), drink it here mugs (provided by our café), and people bringing keep cups (easier to carry and use in the car) is more likely to work.”

They also mentioned that their support staff felt:

“Most of the rest use a takeaway cup but are happy with that because it can go in the FOGO.”

This reflects a common misconception that compostable cups can easily be processed through FOGO systems, which unfortunately isn’t the case.

Our Asks of WA Government:

Ask #1 - Clarity in Disposal Guidelines:

We requested clear, consistent guidelines for disposing of compostable cups to prevent contamination of waste streams.

Ask #2 - Leadership by Example:

We asked Parliament members to role model reusable cup use in Parliament House, setting a solid example for the community.

3. Catch-Up with Claire Gardiner, Coordinator Curtin Net Zero, Kate Chaney MP Office, and TEAL

We’re keen to collaborate with the Curtin Net Zero Waste Committee.

4. Meeting with Zoe Daniel MP

In a recent meeting in Melbourne, we asked for Our Kinds representation on Federal committees focused on packaging standards, recycling, and reporting.

JOIN OUR TEAM: MARKETING VOLUNTEER WANTED

Exciting news! Our Kinds is seeking a passionate marketing volunteer to join our team.?

We want to hear from you if you’re driven to make a difference and have experience with:

• Creating engaging content for social media (Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook),
• Finding and engaging with relevant social media profiles,
• Media & podcast outreach,
• Writing blogs and newsletters.
• Adding content to a website/CMS (bonus points if you can use Webflow!).

This is your chance to help eliminate single-use culture while gaining hands-on experience in a purpose-driven startup.?

We’re asking for a commitment of 10-15 hours a week.?

Ready to drive change with us? Submit your application , and we'll get in touch.

JOIN THE MOVEMENT

We’re not just talking about change—we’re making it happen together. Join us as we continue to build this movement and BE the change we want to see.

Three ways to get involved and support us:

1.?Comment?on this weekly newsletter,?tag someone?who might want to read it and?share?it with others.

2. Follow Karen Monaghan for daily posts.

3. Subscribe to our monthly Our Kinds investor update newsletter (launching soon).