BRAZIL – Nescafé Dolce Gusto has 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.”
With the ability to connect the machine to a smartphone, consumers can personalize their coffee preparation at a distance.
Neo’s new range of coffee pods are paper-based, home compostable and use 70% less packaging by weight than current capsules, claims Nescafé.
The new proprietary and patented coffee system was refined over five years at Nestlé’s R&D Center for Systems in Switzerland.
The company’s proprietary SmartBrew technology combines three brewing methods for espressos, coffeeshop-like americanos and drip-style coffees, in one single machine, at the touch of a button.
Arnaud Deschamps, head of Nescafé Dolce Gusto said: “In a time of rapid change, we see increasing expectations about coffee variety, versatility, personalization and sustainability, with no compromise on quality and taste.
“Every aspect of Neo has been carefully considered – the machine technology, the user interface, the coffee and our first home-compostable paper-based pods.”
Neo’s paper-based pods are certified for composting, both home and industrial, by TÜV Austria, an international certification body.
These new pods are made from 1g of paper certified by Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) suppliers with a compostable biopolymer lining – thinner than human hair – to help protect the coffee quality and freshness from oxidation.
In addition, the coffee machine itself is made of 50% recycled plastic (for non-food contact parts) with the thermoblock (which heats the water) made of 85% recycled aluminum.
It is designed to be more convenient to dismantle and repair, with an A++ energy class rating, and a switch-off eco-mode.
Nescafé’s latest launch aligns with the broader industry activities of packaging suppliers rolling out new iterations of coffee capsules, as consumers grow warier about their impact on the environment.
The brand recently partnered with LyondellBasell and Greiner Packaging to produce coffee capsules from polymers based on advanced recycled post-consumer material.
These polymers, branded CirculenRevive, are made using a chemical recycling process that converts plastic waste into feedstock for new polymers using a mass balance approach.
Meanwhile, Gordon Street Coffee also launched Nespresso-compatible home compostable capsules made of Solinatra, a biomaterial that breaks down as fast as a banana.
Among other moves to scale greener capsules, Greiner Packaging developed a solution made from compostable polymers to help consumers dispose of used coffee capsules in their own backyard.
The company entered a bid for TÜV certification in Austria and Belgium, which would officially credit the solution as home compostable.
For all the latest packaging and printing industry news from Africa and the World, subscribe to our NEWSLETTER, follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn, like us on Facebook, and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
