Coffee is one of the most valuable commodities in the world, and it’s the world’s most widely consumed beverage. Coffee exporting alone is worth more than $20 billion, so this means that there are ample opportunities for coffee companies to go green and become more environmentally friendly.
In this article, we’ll discuss a few ways that coffee packaging companies can become more sustainable, and the importance of going green for the coffee business.
How Coffee Packaging Companies Can Become More Sustainable
One of the biggest innovations in the coffee space has also contributed the most to coffee waste. When the Keurig launched several years ago, it brought coffee pods to the masses.
While these small, plastic pods are certainly convenient, they’re also extremely wasteful. Each one is used only once and cannot be recycled. This is a huge issue, given that 9 billion pods were sold in 2015, and the number has only grown since then. While Keurig has introduced recyclable pods, that’s only part of the solution.
Coffee packaging companies must use innovative materials and techniques, along with the proper industrial knives, to create new types of reusable or disposable coffee pods. The single-serve coffee market is behind only the drip coffee market for home brewing and will continue to grow.
This means that one of the best ways for coffee to go green is to use sustainable materials for coffee pods. Recently, many companies have begun introducing cloth or paper-based pods for Keurig and other pod-based coffee makers, which are much more sustainable, and are biodegradable, in most cases.
By investing in the right equipment, such as specialized cloth industrial knives, and creating value by using organic coffee and environmentally-friendly materials, coffee companies can create better coffee and have a smaller impact on our environment.
Coffee Needs to Make A Bigger Push Towards Sustainability
Coffee manufacturers and packaging companies can distinguish themselves from their competition by investing in sustainable manufacturing practices, such as the creation of cloth pods.
One of the biggest reasons for this is that coffee is one of the biggest agricultural products in the entire world. Where the coffee industry goes, other industries may follow. By setting a great example, and focusing on biodegradable or re-usable products, the coffee industry may lead the charge for a more sustainable global economy. That’s something you can raise a cup of coffee to.