Wolfgang Puck Coffee switches to recyclable pods

Wolfgang Puck Coffee is walking the talk when it comes to sustainable packaging. The brand has announced it is switching to recyclable single-serve coffee pods to reduce the number of used pods going to landfill. The recyclable EcoCup pods, from Mother Parkers Tea & Coffee, are designed for use with Keurig K-Cup coffee machines.

By transitioning to the EcoCup packaging design from nonrecyclable single-serve pods, Wolfgang Puck Coffee aims to offer Keurig-loving consumers the convenience they’ve come to enjoy—but without the post-consumer waste associated with conventional pods.

Wolfgang Puck Coffee’s recyclable pods are composed of a plastic cup, a proprietary non-woven filter material and foil lidding. After using the pod to make a cup of coffee, the consumer can peel off the lidding, compost the spent grounds, dispose of the filter and lidding and, finally, toss the plastic cup in the recycling bin.

"We chose EcoCup as it is an environmentally friendly solution for the traditional K-Cup brewer. It is the first of its kind, and we are excited to be part of the Mother Parkers team and what they bring to sustainability and innovation," says Don Stoulil, partner at Wolfgang Puck Coffee.

Dan Mullen, director of coffee category brands for Mother Parkers Tea & Coffee, adds, “The plastic capsule is recyclable in many municipalities, and the organic waste—coffee grounds or tea leaves—is accepted in green-bin compost recycling.” (Brand owner Higgins & Burke uses the EcoCup package for loose-leaf tea.)

At launch, the selection of Wolfgang Puck premium coffee blends in the EcoCup package included: Go BOLD, Breakfast in Bed, After Dark decaf, Jamaican Me Crazy, Rodeo Drive, Hawaiian Hazelnut and Vanilla French Toast. Ultimately, Wolfgang Puck Coffee will use only the EcoCup for its single-serve pods.

The brand owner sells the product in eight- and 24-count multipacks, both online and through retailers across the United States. Secondary packaging for the pods is a paperboard carton.

The pods are filled, sealed and packed at Mother Parkers’ manufacturing facilities.