Real Story. Real Stupid.
The K-cup was invented by John Sylvan in the mid-1990s. Sylvan wanted to create an easier way to make a single cup of coffee to end the dilemma of office coffee pots that grew stale and cold before they could be consumed. Sylvan founded Keurig in 1992 and set out to create the single serve coffee machine. He chose the name Keurig because, in Dutch, its meaning is “excellence.” After several years and a few grants, the Keurig brewing system was ready to launch. Sylvan sold his stake in the company he founded for a paltry $50,000 before Keurig hit the market in 1998. Keurig was then purchased by Green Mountain.
No one can argue the convenience of the K-cup. It is quick, easy to use, and it has changed the way the world drinks coffee. The problem with the K-cup lies in the massive stream of waste that it leaves behind and in its decidedly toxic design.
K-cups are made from number 7 plastic. As dedicated readers know, plastic number 7 is the worst of all plastics. It is often not recyclable and it is comprised of mystery chemicals that don’t fit into the category of plastics 1 through 6. Plastic number 7 is what I refer to as “crap plastic.” Keurig says that their K-cups do not contain BPA but companies are allowed to use similar plastic that comes from the BPA family. Keurig does not have to disclose what is in their plastic or if it contains chemicals similar to BPA because it is considered “proprietary information.” Plastic number 7 has tested positive for estrogenic activity, which means it is a known endocrine disruptor. Keurig will also not confirm if they use polystyrene in their plastic. Polystyrene, a derivative of styrene, is a known carcinogen. When exposed to heat, all plastics are at risk for leaching, especially unstable plastics, such as plastic number 7.
A poll in 2013 revealed that 1 in 3 homes in America had a Keurig coffee maker. In 2008 Green Mountain made $132 million on the sale of Keurig machines and K-cups. By 2013 Green Mountain made $3.1 billion (yes, billion) on sales, and in 2014 that number rose to $4.7 billion. In 2013 8.3 billion K-cups were produced. If you put the K-cups together, end to end, you would circle the planet 10.5 times. The next year, 2014, welcomed 9.8 billion K-cups to landfill across the world.
The coffee in your K-cup costs four times (or more) as much as the same exact coffee that you can use in a drip coffee maker. Why are people willing to pay so much more for the same amount of coffee and the same exact product? If people were forced to pay that price, they would be outraged.
The coffee in your K-cup costs four times (or more) as much as the same exact coffee that you can use in a drip coffee maker. Why are people willing to pay so much more for the same amount of coffee and the same exact product? If people were forced to pay that price, they would be outraged.
John Sylvan went on to built a company that produces the most efficient solar panels to date. He was interviewed a couple of years back by the Atlantic and he said “I feel bad sometimes that I ever invented the K-cup.” When he was asked if he owned a Keurig, he replied “I don’t have one. They’re kind of expensive to use...Plus it’s not like drip coffee is hard to make.”
My two cents: I have a coffee maker that is single serve and it doesn’t use K-cups or a filter. It has two mesh filters that you rinse and use over and over again. I use ground coffee that I buy in the bulk section at the grocery store and I toss the paper bag into the burn bucket when it is used up. It’s not hard to make coffee, society is just lazy.
Rating: I give Keurig 4 out of 5 possible slow claps for being toxic, wasteful, and for catering to society's buy and toss mentality.
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