Waitrose launches its own-brand compostable espresso capsules
Waitrose saves millions of capsules from landfill with its compostable home alternative
First in a supermarket Waitrose will begin replacing coffee capsules with a compostable alternative at home, saving millions of capsules from landfill.
The previous capsules were made from mixed materials (polypropylene with an aluminum lid) that were difficult to separate for recycling.
Now the company will sell coffee capsules made from organically grown materials, including sunflower bark and sugar made from corn, which is fully compostable. The lid is made of cellulose and can also be composted yourself. The box is completely recyclable.
The coffee hits stores this week and is the first private label compostable capsule to be used in Nespresso-style coffee machines.
Due to the pandemic, Waitrose has seen a significant 39% increase in coffee sales over the past 12 months as customers stayed at home and replaced their office or high street coffee with a homemade roast. John Lewis Sales of coffee capsule machines also increased. Even after the lockdown, this trend is expected to continue as people work from home more in the future.
Starting this week, four different blends of the new Fairtrade coffee packaging will be available in Waitrose stores and on waitrose.com, including Espresso 10 and 20, Lungo 10, Ristretto 10 and Decaf 10.
Polly Astbury, Coffee Buyer at Waitrose, said: “We are working hard to make all of our packaging more easily recycled, reusable or compostable at home over the next two years. After a year with so many cups of coffee, it was important that we looked for a more sustainable material. Since coffee grains can also be used as fertilizer, making our capsules compostable at home was an ideal alternative. “
Earlier this week, Waitrose announced plans to stop selling children’s magazines with single-use toys in order to reduce single-use plastic.
Waitrose recently took first place for the second year in a row in Greenpeace’s annual ranking, which examines how supermarkets are reducing the use of single-use plastics.
Waitrose is on the right track to make all private label packaging largely recycled, reusable or compostable at home by 2023.
