Maxwell House Launches 'Zero Waste' Compostable Single-Serve Coffee Pods

With the launch of Maxwell House 100% compostable coffee pods, waste reduction is at the forefront, with sustainable packaging from beginning to end. It's a simple one-step process: toss the pod into the compost bin and it will decompose into nutrient rich soil. Leaving zero waste for the consumer, the compostable coffee pods are made of 85% coffee grounds (real, actual coffee) with a paper lid, a coffee filter made from cornstarch and a plant-based compostable ring made from over 20% coffee bean husks.

Certified by the Biodegradable Products Institute, this designation verifies that the compostable coffee pod meets global scientific standards for industrial compostability and is formulated to break down in a period of about seven weeks. Gone are the days of tedious separation of recyclable pod elements, including the removal of the lid, ring, mesh filters and coffee grounds. Further, organization into the correct recycling and composting categories is no longer required.

Consumer education
Dr. Calvin Lakhan, industry expert and leading environmental researcher at Toronto's York University says, "Both brands and consumers have a critical role to play in driving sustainability forward through innovative technology and developing solutions that balance the demands of modern society with the needs of the planet. By making the switch from traditional single-use plastic pods to compostable pods, we could help reduce plastics by the height of more than 4,000 CN towers annually."

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As a way to showcase the innovation, Maxwell House launched an immersive educational experience to highlight how the pods decompose. Located at stackt market in downtown Toronto, visitors can witness first-hand how the compostable pods break down over the next few weeks in a shipping container filled with 500 lbs of shredded organic material, such as expired fruits and veggies, and the 100% compostable pods.

By the end of the process, all the pods used to create the experience will break down completely so all that is left is nutrient rich soil. Time lapse assets of the decomposition experience will also be shared with Canadians across social media to demonstrate the reality of the process. 

Kraft Heinz will be releasing its 2020 Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) report as part of its corporate citizenship and sustainability efforts in Fall 2020. The report highlights its commitment to sustainability, including the company's aim to make 100% of packaging recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025.