Coffee capsule recycling greenwash
Podback, the latest Big Business greenwash, all the usual suspects, Nestle, Starbucks, Jacobs Douwe Egberts, purveyors of disgusting undrinkable coffee.
Kerbside collection of coffee capsules is not the answer, it is a solution to a non-existent problem.
A couple of councils out of how many local councils? This is pissing in the wind. It is to add yet another layer of complexity to household waste collection and recycling. Households already cannot cope and are poor at recycling.
A similar scheme in New York has poor recycling success.
A work around by coffee companies to look green was to send a courier to collect or ask to visit a coffee shop to drop them off. Better than nothing, maybe, but not exactly a green solution or reducing carbon footprint.
An example of the stomach-churning marketing bullshit:
Podback is the new coffee pod recycling service. Created by the two biggest names in the UK coffee industry, Nestlé & Jacobs Douwe Egberts UK, the companies behind Britain’s favourite coffee brands, Nespresso, NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto and Tassimo, Podback is the first of its kind.
Joint has worked alongside the founding members (Nespresso, NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto and Tassimo) as well as all partner agencies to develop the brand strategy, logo, brand identity and brand led communications, as well as, in collaboration with BIG DB, a consumer facing website.
Launched this month, Podback provides simple and easy ways for people to recycle their coffee pods.
Podback’s mission is for every coffee pod enjoyed to be recycled.
The scheme will initially cover brands representing over three quarters of the UK market, including Nespresso, NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto, Tassimo, L’OR, Starbucks by Nespresso and Starbucks by NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto. The ambition is for all brands that use aluminium or plastic pods to join Podback.
The suite of brand work developed for Podback includes brand strategy, logo and brand identity, recycling bag designs, announcement video assets for corporate social channels (LinkedIn+ Twitter), Podback Members Guide for new members to the scheme, social media consumer launch assets. It also includes a consumer facing website, in collaboration with digital partners BIG DB.
Damon Collins, founder: “Developing such an innovative brand with such a strong mission and purpose alongside two of the biggest names in the coffee industry has been an amazing journey. With Podback being the first of its kind in the UK, we know the importance every aspect of the brand plays in the real world which is why we sweated every tiny detail. We’re proud that Joint is part of a team in helping making recycling simpler and easier and helping the environment in such an important way.’’
These ‘solutions’ are for a problem that should not exist, coffee capsules that cannot be easily recycled (for example Nestle) or composted.
Nespresso machines are capable of brewing excellent coffee so long as do not use coffee from Nespresso or Starbucks.
Internally all Nespresso machines are the same, the only difference external appearance and attachment of various gadgets and gizmos.
Buy the cheapest Nespresso machine. Better still, buy an Opal One, roughly double the price of the cheapest Nespresso machine.
The advantage of coffee in capsules (but not Nespresso):
- quality coffee
- optimum grind
- optimum freshness
- oxygen-free environment
- capsules can be composted or recycled
Always buy coffee from a reputable coffee roastery, never cheap low quality off the shelves of supermarkets.
- Kiss the Hippo — compostable
- Colonna — aluminium and compostable
- April — compostable
Compostable capsules can be dropped on the garden compost heap or food waste bin or garden waste bin.
Gadgets exist to extract spent coffee grounds from aluminium capsules. Spent coffee grounds go on the compost heap or scattered on the garden. Rinse the aluminium capsules and drop in the recycling bin.
Hot tip: Stack the empty aluminium capsules to increase their bulk before dropping in the recycling bin.
I do wish lazy journalists would do their homework, not regurgitate Big Business greenwash.
