Smile Compostable Solutions and Pod Pack partner on circular coffee pods

15 Nov 2022 --- Smile Compostable Solutions is signing a material sales agreement with Pod Pack International, a leading co-manufacturer of single-serve coffee and tea pods and cups.

The company will produce Smile’s commercially compostable, plant-based and carbon-neutral coffee pods that are compatible with Keurig brewers, enhancing environmental sustainability options for Pod Pack customers. 

The agreement is said to demonstrate the convenience of Smile’s turn-key abilities as “the only fully-certified compostable pod system.” 

Pod Pack delivers pods compatible with Keurig brewers. The Co-Packer can produce 420 coffee pods per minute with an in-line ultrasonic sealing process using a bespoke machine from IMA Coffee. 

Due to the machine’s modular design, additional flexibility is achieved. This, combined with Pod Pack’s new sustainable materials, makes the Co-Packer a go-to solution for businesses who want to reduce their plastic and carbon footprints in the K-Cup market.

The Co-Packer is a go-to solution for businesses who want to reduce their plastic and carbon footprints. “The Team at Pod Pack is excited to partner with Smile to bring this innovative solution to the single-serve coffee and tea marketplace. This allows Pod Pack to expand our market-leading offering of compostable single-serve products,” says Pod Pack CEO Marion Gray.

Smile’s plant-based pods are certified carbon neutral, USDA Biobased, Biodegradable Products Institute Commercially Compostable and Compost Manufacturing Alliance Composter Approved.

“Pod Pack’s state-of-the-art capsule filling equipment and experience made them an ideal client. We are excited to help both Pod Pack and their customers be leaders in the sustainable coffee sector,” adds co-founder and chief operating officer Frankie Schuster.

Other coffee news
In September, Migros launched the “world’s first” coffee capsule system that works entirely without a capsule. Branded CoffeeB, a small, fully compostable ball of pressed coffee, has the amenities of conventional capsule systems but does not add to the 100,000 metric tons of coffee capsule waste produced every year. 

Nescafé Dolce Gusto rolled out a hot beverage machine concept pegged as a “coffee shop at home, branded Neo. The system’s proprietary technology and home-compostable pods are dubbed the brand’s “most sustainable system to date.” 

Neo’s new range of coffee pods are paper-based, home compostable and use 70% less packaging by weight than current capsules, claims Nescafé.

Meanwhile, ChoosePlanetA launched The Good Cup, an environmentally sustainable single-use paper cup that eliminates the need for plastic lids. The cup has a foldable built-in lid made from 100% certified home compostable paper, and it is free from the commonly used PE coating. 

The cup’s patented design was designed for coffee shops and other convenience drink retailers offering to-go options. 

Edited by Natalie Schwertheim