Being a sustainable business in 2025…

Over the past 8 years, Number Thirteen has been privileged enough to win 3 awards for our eco-conscious ethos and values regarding sustainability. We have been shortlisted as finalists 11 times, in various awards, but for the first time ever, we have entered ourselves for an award in the sustainable business category, and not made the shortlist.

This is a great thing, strangely enough, as it means that more businesses have started to take up sustainable practices and make their business more planet friendly. As a business we are no longer in the minority, and have to fight for a place in a sustainable business category. This is such a positive move forwards, and it felt right to look back and comment on how we have, as a business, tried to stay ahead of the curve - especially when it seems as though the curve has finally caught up with us!

When we first opened, it didn’t feel like a massive leap, to make sure that the products we sold weren’t impacting the planet in a negative way and seemed like the natural thing to do. During our first year, it was commented on, how great it was to see a business actively pursuing an environmentally friendly way of working, and I was encouraged to enter a local award’s Green Business category. We won the Small Business Green Award in 2019 at the Harrogate Advertiser Excellence in Business Awards and have subsequently entered or have been nominated for various awards every year since.

When planning to open Number Thirteen, I wanted to create a business revolved around an environmentally conscious ethos as well as being a business that prospered. Mainly due to the nature of the business, many aspects of the hospitality industry require products that are single use only (cling film, food packaging, takeaway containers, cleaning products etc.) to ensure the safety and wellbeing of their customers, and because businesses are usually first and foremost about making money, many establishments will use the cheapest available and this is usually the worst for the environment.

With this in mind, I wanted to build a business that could try and have the best of both worlds. At Number Thirteen everything you see is preloved, upcycled or handmade. Everything from the teaspoons to the tables, the water jugs to the wallpaper. So many people throw things away that still have plenty of life in them, and I wanted to step away from such a disposable culture. Where possible, everything has been sourced from charity shops, boot fairs, auction houses and garage sales; all in a bid to reduce our carbon footprint. Sourcing from these kinds of businesses has also kept things local - benefiting local charities, businesses and individuals rather than large, impersonal conglomerates.

As well as all this, every effort has been made to make sure that our products are made with locally sourced ingredients, supporting local independent businesses. Eggs and meat are bought from our local butcher; and our milk is supplied daily by a local dairy in glass bottles. These get returned to the dairy, sterilised and refilled; which means that a cup of coffee from Number Thirteen uses 0% single-use plastic.

We have recently developed our own branded, home-compostable takeaway cups with a UK based company. These differ from many takeaway cups which claim to be compostable, as this is usually only possible at a commercial composting plant, which aren’t very common. Our cups will decompose in home compost bins in 8-10 weeks under the right conditions and can also be disposed of in all commercial food waste bins. All our takeaway products, lids, food containers, takeaway bags, food paper and napkins are either recyclable, biodegradable or compostable. We use reusable metal straws in the shop, and when metal isn’t suitable, we have completely compostable, plant-based straws. We use eco-friendly hand soaps, washing up liquid and cleaning products.

Since opening we have sold over 500 reusable take-away cups, many of these customers coming to the shop regularly for take-away coffees. Some quick maths will tell you that even if those 500 customers used that cup only once a week, that has stopped 26,000 disposable cups ending up in landfill or being incinerated. Many customers use their cups daily, so that number is unquestionably much higher.

All our fruit and vegetables are bought at the local Wednesday market where possible, and we keep things in season, so we aren’t using produce that has travelled long distances on planes or boats. The majority of fruit and vegetables we use are grown in the UK and where possible, Yorkshire. We even have customers bringing in their excess allotment fruit and vegetables, for us to use in our baking – as local as it comes!

Our coffee and tea come in recyclable bags, and we even offer our used coffee grounds for free to be used as compost. Our tea is served as loose-leaf in metal strainers so there are no tea bags (which can contain plastic making them un-recyclable) and only biodegradable food waste.

Any waste that is created by Number Thirteen is collected by a York-based waste management company that focusses on recycling. All waste produced by Number Thirteen is sorted into paper/glass/food etc and recycled where possible. According to their website, only 6% of their total waste collection ends up being un-recyclable. This is incinerated and the heat produced is used to power the facility.

We actively promote the use of reusable coffee cups and food containers in store, reducing the amount of waste created by our shop. This means that if you bring your own reusable take-away cup or food container to be filled at Number Thirteen, you will receive 10% off whatever you buy.

Lastly, the electricity used to power Number Thirteen is 100% renewable and UK based, sourcing from a combination of wind, solar, hydro and bio-generation energy. We also use energy efficient lighting in the shop to help keep our environmental impact as low as possible.

It is great to think that if we do all this and can’t manage to make the shortlist of a sustainable business award, the businesses that have made the cut must be doing some great things, and should be celebrated. Being a sustainable business, isn’t the be all and end all for us – we are first and foremost a coffee shop, and strive to provide great food and drink, great customer service and somewhere customers feel welcome. This is why we have been shortlisted for the Hospitality Business of the Year, in the same awards, so that is great too!