Keurig says it's ready to ditch plastics for its single-service coffee machines.
What exactly the proprietary "protective plant-based coating" going onto the future K-Rounds — a proposed replacement for K-Cups — is made of isn't quite clear. Keurig officials promised it would be plastic- and aluminum-free, however.
Keurig, part of Keurig Dr Pepper, rolled out its coffee system reinvention March 13. The Alta will be ready for beta testing later this year, with a commercial launch a couple of years from now.
The K-Rounds, with compressed ground coffee within that coating, can be used for espresso, standard drip-style coffee and iced drinks made in the same machine. The pods will be more environmentally friendly than K-Cups, the company promises.
"When the Keurig system was founded, sustainability wasn't really a concept anybody talked about, and we know that's critically important today," Chairman and CEO Bob Gamgort says in a video launching the K-Rounds.
While there have been attempts to produce a more recyclable coffee pod by Keurig and its competitors, most relied on consumers being willing to separate a pod container and contents after brewing. After brewing, Keurig expects the remnants of the Rounds after brewing to be certified as compostable.