Coffee preparation specialist Melitta Belgium purifies the air with ‘painted forest’
The unique 160m² air-purifying mural aids the environment by eliminating the pollutants of 12,490 vehicles annually
As part of its sustainability strategy, Melitta, specialist in coffee filters and coffee machines, has ‘planted’ an air-purifying ‘forest painting’ measuring no less than 160 m2. This ecological mural was created using Airlite, a 100% natural paint that reduces pollutants. The artwork will purify as much air in ten years’ time as a forest covering the same surface area. Over this time span, Airlite purifies a range of harmful pollutants, including NOx, SOx, NH3 and CO. The project follows the Treedom campaign, for which Melitta has already planted 12,990 trees in Tanzania. To install this mural, Melitta chose the buildings in the Geogarden of the Catholic University of Leuven (KU Leuven) — a very appropriate location.
Interested in an interview with Margaux Van den Hende, brand manager at Melitta? If so, you can contact us via [email protected] or by telephoning 0498 39 93 52.
Air-purifying mural
Thanks to Melitta, KU Leuven’s Geogarden now boasts a new attraction: an ecological mural of no less than 160 m2. This artwork will provide not only a fresh look but also fresh air! It was created, in fact, with the air-purifying paint Airlite. This extraordinary paint features anti-pollution, air-purifying and energy-saving properties. The Airlite technology is incorporated into a 100% mineral paint that purifies the air and sanitises surfaces in a completely natural way. Using the energy from light, Airlite paint eliminates major air pollutants, such as NOx, SOx, NH3 and CO. Moreover, applying Airlite over a 160 m2 area reduces air pollution in the same way as a mature forest of 160 m2. And it does so for a period of 10 years. This means that, in that time, the mural will purify the emissions of 124,903 vehicles.
'After planting the Melitta® forest in Tanzania in partnership with Treedom, it seemed only natural that we should also have a positive impact on the local environment. But the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic forced us to think creatively. Given that the social component is also a vital part of Melitta’s sustainability strategy, we decided to launch a project that would have a positive impact on the environment and the local population. And that’s how the idea of an air-purifying mural was born’, says Margaux Van den Hende, brand manager at Melitta® Belgium.
Melitta & Treedom
As part of its sustainability strategy, Melitta has already planted 12,990 trees in the northwest of Tanzania in collaboration with Treedom. The trees cover much of Kilimanjaro National Park, a place of exceptional biodiversity and a region of the world vulnerable to climate change. Treedom is the world’s first platform allowing users to locate precisely where their tree has been planted and to follow its growth online.'
‘We want to expand the Melitta forest year in and year out, as well as to get our consumers involved in the process. Via the game at www.melitta.treedom.net, consumers can win a tree sponsorship that allows them to follow their tree’s journey, from seedling to adult’, explains Margaux Van den Hende.
As Margaux Van den Hende points out, ‘The Melitta® forestry project in Tanzania not only helps absorb CO2, but it also aims to slow the depletion of water resources. This improves the environment and the local farmers’ quality of life. What’s more, the fruit of the trees generates additional income opportunities. Over the next ten years of their lives, the trees will absorb 3,115,000 kg of CO2, thereby actively contributing to climate control.’
Melitta & KU Leuven
In addition to the Treedom endeavour, Melitta will collaborate with KU Leuven. The mural may be proudly displayed on one of buildings in the university’s Geogarden for ten years. The Geogarden is a volunteer project overseen by the department of Earth and Environmental Sciences. The goal of the garden is for the campus to flourish, to grow food sustainably and to promote socio-ecological experiments. In essence, it’s the ideal spot for an environmentally friendly mural. With its vibrant, warm colours, the eye-catching mural brightens up the campus’ grey buildings and the surroundings. Above all, the Geogarden is a meeting place that, now more than ever, invites people to gather whether or not it’s with a steaming cup of Melitta® coffee. And, in a nice touch, the mural is also visible to passersby, cyclists and motorists.
Melitta & Land of Júlia
After holding an open call for artists, Melitta and KU Leuven selected the Brazilian artist and illustrator Júlia Albuquerque, who already has several murals to her credit in Brazil and has been studying in Berlin for a year. This proved the perfect match thanks to Júlia’s cheerful style, personality and motivation. The artist has managed to infuse a lot of meaning into the mural. For example, various figures are depicted working together to maintain their natural surroundings. They hand each other flower pots shaped like coffee cups. A reference, on one hand, to Melitta and the enjoyment of coffee and, on the other hand, a nod to the collaboration between Melitta, Treedom and the Geogarden of KU Leuven. A composite of their three common objectives, as it were: 'Connecting Nature, People and Coffee Enjoyment'.
Melitta & sustainability
Aside from this initiative, the Melitta Group is fully engaged with sustainability. The coffee preparation specialist has a group-wide climate strategy aimed at reducing the CO2 emissions, waste processing and energy and water consumption in their production. For example, the coffee filter producer in Germany has a 95% closed water circulation loop and a modern paper extraction system that reduces CO2 emissions by 60%.
For many years, Melittahas offered a wide variety of products that meet strict sustainability criteria, making it easier for consumers to integrate sustainability into their daily lives. Melitta® coffee filters are, for example, 100% biodegradable and manufactured using FSC® certified pulp. And, as the name implies, the Melitta® bamboo coffee filters are made from the natural renewable resource of bamboo. Bamboo is the most versatile, widespread and — most importantly, the fastest growing crop in the world. Melitta developed its bamboo coffee filters to use less tree-based cellulose
Practical information
Starting from today, you can admire the mural on the Arenberg Campus, the facade along Kapeldreef, at Celestijnelaan 200C in Leuven.
Orane Bellemans
