Zero Waste Coffee Balls – A More Eco-Friendly Solution

Coffee is big business with the coffee capsule market alone worth $12.3bn, with further growth expected of around 25% by 2026. Coffee capsules currently generate around 100,000 tonnes of waste globally every year with coffee giants such as Nespresso, Lavazza and Starbucks being big players. We take a look at the CoffeeB by Migros approach to a sustainable coffee system and their zero waste coffee balls.

Almost one half of UK households use capsules

It is thought that here in the UK, almost half of all households consume capsule based coffee. While some pods are recyclable, many end up in landfill. A process which is simply not sustainable.

Fact – The single serve packaging used in a coffee capsule that is constructed from either plastic or aluminium, can take 500 years to decompose!!!

The Solution?

Developed by Swiss retailer Migros, the CoffeeB capsule-less system, or the Coffee Ball, is designed to revolutionise how we consume single serve coffee. In an effort to say goodbye to capsules, they have designed a completely disposable, plant based system. The Coffee Ball uses only the best coffee beans, the best roasting and perfect grinding so that you get top quality coffee, pressed into a ball.

Currently only available in Switzerland and other European countries, rather than using a throw away capsule, these zero waste coffee balls are encased in a layer constructed from seaweed.

A totally compostable coffee

This thin plant based compostable casing is not consumed, it is thrown away with the whole coffee ball after brewing. The case allows it to retain its structure without losing its flavour. The result? A tasteless and colourless, fully garden compostable product that decomposes within 4 weeks. Garden fertiliser in just 4 weeks! The coffee is compostable too.

Less coffee per cup

And it doesn’t end there – these zero waste coffee balls also uses less coffee per cup than the coffee used in a filter machine or a cafetiere further reducing the carbon footprint of a single cup of coffee. Available in different sizes 40ml and 110ml

In tests it has been shown to perform the same as coffee capsules producing the same quality of coffee. This easy to use capsule free system offers comes as a pleasant surprise for those seeking a more sustainable approach to coffee.

It’s early days, and you won’t find them in the UK just yet, but first impressions seem to be good with reports suggesting that they taste just as good. While they look like balls of Lindt chocolate, you wouldn’t want to pop one of these in your mouth. They certainly take an interesting approach to cutting down the sheer volume of waste that popular coffee pod coffees generate.