Mood is Officially Plastic Neutral

Why Mood Chose to Become Plastic Neutral

And what responsibility looks like as a growing coffee company

Read our impact report here.

One of the things I love most about running Mood Artisan Coffee is that it forces me to slow down and think about decisions beyond just sales or growth.

Every now and then, something comes up that makes you zoom out and ask a bigger question. Not “will this convert” or “will this perform,” but “does this align with the kind of business I actually want to build?”

Becoming plastic neutral was one of those moments for me.

It did not come from a place of panic or pressure. Mood has always been an intentional business. We are thoughtful about sourcing, packaging, shipping, and scale. But as the company grows, so does its footprint, and I wanted to make sure that growth never came at the expense of the planet that makes this business possible in the first place.

Running a coffee business is inevitably tied to the planet

Coffee does not exist without healthy ecosystems.

It grows because of specific climates, fertile soil, clean water, and generations of agricultural knowledge. Every bag of coffee I roast and ship exists because farmers, land, weather, and infrastructure all work together across continents.

At any given time, I have coffee travelling by sea to reach me in Canada. That reality alone keeps me grounded. This business operates on a global scale, even if Mood itself is still small.

I realized that if I was going to continue building a business that depends so heavily on the planet, I needed to be equally committed to respecting it. That responsibility felt like a natural extension of what Mood already stands for.

Small business impact is still impact

There is a tendency to think responsibility only applies once you reach a certain size. Once you are “big enough” to matter.

I do not believe that.

Small businesses collectively shape supply chains, consumer habits, and expectations. The choices we make early on tend to set the tone for everything that follows.

Mood sources coffee from women-led farms, cooperatives, and collectives. We talk openly about equity, intention, and long-term sustainability. It would feel incomplete to focus only on one part of the supply chain while ignoring the environmental side of running a product-based business.

Plastic, in particular, is something I wanted to address in a way that was thoughtful and practical.

Why plastic neutrality made sense for Mood

Mood is not plastic-free, and I am transparent about that. Packaging, shipping, and food safety standards mean plastic is still part of the equation for most coffee companies.

What mattered to me was accountability.

Plastic neutrality means taking responsibility for the plastic we use by funding the collection and proper disposal of an equivalent amount of plastic waste before it reaches oceans and waterways. In Mood’s case, we have committed to recovering more ocean-bound plastic than we put out into the world.

That felt like a meaningful, measurable step forward.

Being mindful about greenwashing

As I researched different options, I quickly learned that not all “eco-friendly” solutions are created equal.

A lot of plastic alternatives and compostable materials sound good on the surface, but rely on infrastructure that simply does not exist in many places (yes, including Canadian metropolitan cities unfortunately). Without proper facilities, many of these materials end up in landfills or the environment anyway. In some cases, they can even create more confusion and contamination in waste systems.

I wanted to be very intentional about who Mood partnered with and how impact was measured. The last thing I wanted was a feel-good label that did not actually solve anything.

That is why CleanHub stood out.

Why CleanHub

CleanHub focuses on stopping plastic waste before it ever reaches the ocean by funding collection in communities that lack proper waste management infrastructure. This is preventative work, and it creates real, verifiable impact.

What resonated with me most is that much of this work happens in regions that overlap with global coffee-growing areas. Coastal and rural communities that are affected by plastic pollution and often overlooked when it comes to waste solutions.

Not to mention, CleanHub's claims and impact reports are audited by verifiable third parties for accuracy. Their findings and results are published publicy.

For Mood, this created a sense of connection and responsibility that felt aligned with how we already source coffee.

A more connected supply chain

The women farmers we work with are caretakers of land. Their livelihoods depend on healthy soil, clean water, and stable environments. Environmental challenges tend to show up in these regions first and hit the hardest.

By supporting waste collection in coffee-growing regions, Mood’s supply chain becomes more connected and more intentional. Coffee moves from these regions to your cup, and plastic waste is intercepted before it moves from these regions into the ocean.

That circularity matters to me.

It turns sustainability from an abstract idea into something practical and human.

This is not about being perfect

I want to be clear about this.

Becoming plastic neutral does not make Mood flawless or claim to solve plastic pollution. It is one piece of a much bigger puzzle.

What it does do is reinforce the kind of business I am committed to building. One that grows thoughtfully. One that acknowledges its impact. One that tries to do better wherever possible.

I believe customers can feel that intention, just like they feel the difference when they learn about the women behind the coffee they are drinking.

What plastic neutrality looks like at Mood

In practical terms, this commitment means:

• We measure the plastic footprint of our operations
• We fund the recovery of more plastic waste than we generate
• That waste is collected before it reaches oceans and waterways
• Collection happens in communities that need infrastructure the most
• Impact is tracked and verified through third-party reporting

This is not a one-time initiative. It scales as Mood grows.

Why this matters to me personally

Mood exists because I wanted to build something that felt meaningful, human, and grounded in care.

Coffee is a daily ritual. It is familiar, comforting, and woven into our routines. But the systems behind it are complex and global.

If I am lucky enough to build a business doing what I love, I want to do it in a way that respects the people and places that make it possible.

Plastic neutrality felt like a natural next step in that journey.

Moving forward

I want Mood to grow. I want to work with more women producers, roast more coffee, and reach more people.

I also want to stay anchored to the values that brought this business to life in the first place.

Being plastic neutral is one way we are doing that. Quietly, intentionally, and with a long-term view in mind.

You can read about Mood's impact here on our Plastic Sustainability Report.