Case Study: Keurig Green Mountain

Drinking coffee has been a popular tradition for many years and will always remain a timeless convention. For coffee consumers, that first sip of caffeine in the morning is the highlight of their day, the boost they need to keep going, or the simple pleasure of enjoying a moment of peace. Coffee can be made with several different devices, comes in many different flavors, and can be enjoyed almost anywhere. Despite the various options offered by coffee companies, there is one thing that remains common among users – many are dependent on this addictive brew. Dependency is important for companies when it comes to their product because it produces consistent sales. Keurig Green Mountain not only produces coffee which is already a reliant product

Andrew Hazen is the official recycling technician at Keurig’s roasting facility in Washington. He is on a mission to see how much of the trash at this location can be given a second chance. The general trash he is referring to is wood, paper, scrap metal, cardboard, paper filters, shrink wrap, and plastic banding. Hazen is proven to satisfy these efforts in a recent change at their facility. The coffee beans transported to the Washington roasting facility are always transported in bags made of 100% burlap because the material protects the beans while still allowing air to circulate. Hazen wondered what could be done with the thousands of burlap bags that come through their doors each month, rather than tossing them out. After some research, he found that farms use this material for sheet mulching and erosion control. In addition, a nearby wetland restoration project said they could use the bags to stop the growth of invasive species. Although Hazen was proud to help the farms and wetland restoration project, he still had several bags he could donate to help others. He was most proud when he learned the bags can be used to help the damages from Seattle’s rainy weather. A local landscaping firm called Rain Dog Designs now uses these recycled burlap bags to create rain gardens that absorb water runoff from paved areas. The burlap bag example is just one of many that Keurig Green Mountain facilities do to help reduce, reuse, and recycle as much as possible for a better world. (Our Stories,