Loblaw is launching compostable single-serve coffee pods, in a move the company says could divert 100 million pods from landfills a year.
The Keurig-compatible pods are made almost entirely from plant materials and reclaimed coffee bean skins, using innovation from University of Guelph and Club Coffee of Toronto.
They will be sold under the President’s Choice and no name labels.
Loblaw says that the President’s Choice pods are the first single-serve coffee pods to be certified by the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI), which ensures products meet independent testing and verification according to international scientific standards for compostability. Compostable pods are identified by a BPI logo on pack and by the brown ring on the pod.
Loblaw dubs the compostable coffee pods “a game-changing solution to an environmental challenge facing millions of households.”
“Our company and customers challenge the notion that convenience packaging is a justification for waste,” said Loblaw executive chairman and president Galen Weston, in a statement. “We expect this product launch and the Canadian innovation behind it will re-invent the category, helping our customers to enjoy their coffee without sacrificing their commitment to the environment.”
PC coffee pods are now 100% compostable and could divert 100 million pods from landfills annually. See more: https://t.co/HD0R3MUEdD pic.twitter.com/ks7mmaQdcJ
— President's Choice (@PresChoice) September 30, 2016
Loblaw notes the single-serve coffee category has grown exponentially over the past few years as has concern about the environmental impact coffee pod waste.
“We know that a great convenient coffee shouldn’t have to come at a great environmental cost,” added Loblaw Brands senior vice-president Ian Gordon.
The grocer’s move was saluted by Ontario environment and climate change minister Glen Murray, who called the compostable single-serve coffee pods “a made in Ontario innovation that will help reduce waste and hopefully encourage further environmentally sustainable packaging solutions.”
Murray said the Ontario government is encouraging innovation in consumer packaging, through its recently passed Waste-Free Ontario Act, and Loblaw’s move “is a great example of that innovation in action.”
This article originally appeared at CanadianGrocer.com
