A compostable alternative to the ubiquitous but wasteful single-serve coffee pods popularized by Keurig’s K-cup brand has won SPI’s 2016 Innovation in Bioplastics Award.
Club Coffee says its PurPod100 includes a paper lid, a ring made using chaff from coffee roasting, and a mesh filter made of biobased plastic. The pods break down in municipal and industrial composting facilities in as little as five weeks.
“A simple innovation in design is having huge impact in the small things we consume daily that impact our carbon footprint,” says Patrick Krieger, assistant director of regulatory and technical affairs at SPI.
Consumption of single-serve coffee has seen explosive growth, increasing 319% between 2011–2015, to $4.6 billion.