• March 2023

  • Senseo’s sustainability journey towards planet positive

Doing what’s best for the environment - developing our approach to sustainability

For Senseo, sustainability is integral to the design, production and development of its coffee systems. Yet finding the most sustainable solution is not clear-cut. There are a number of factors to take into consideration.

For instance, Senseo is a global brand serving its coffee in ten countries around the world, and different countries are at different stages in the development of their recycling infrastructure. So, whilst in the Netherlands the Senseo bag can be recycled, some countries do not yet have the necessary recycling infrastructure in place. This makes on-pack recycling advice for coffee drinkers more challenging.

As a result, Senseo is always on the move when it comes to research and development, to continuously improve in line with evolving regulations and to ensure it is doing what’s best for the environment - minimising its footprint as much as possible whilst meeting demand from Senseo coffee drinkers.

Senseo brings the best of both worlds to coffee drinkers: ecological and economical”

Laurent Sagarra, Vice-President Sustainability

Low-impact coffee, from bean to cup

Each step in the Senseo process has been designed with sustainability in mind.

  • Starting with 100% responsibly sourced coffee that is Rainforest Alliance certified and helps improve the living and working conditions of coffee plantation farmers and their families – part of JDE Peet’s commitment to sourcing for better.
  • The coffee is put into 100% industrially compostable pads(1), made from 1.7% paper, 0.7% plant-based sealant, and 97.6% coffee, and our pads are packaged in recycle-ready materials.
  • Coffee drinkers make a delicious cup of coffee using Senseo’s low-impact machine(3) that includes 25% recycled components in its construction in eligible parts(2) and has low energy consumption.
  • Key to Senseo’s sustainability aims is the affordability of its coffee, so that a sustainable cup of coffee is accessible to all.
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Looking ahead

Whilst we have come a long way and are proud of the sustainability credentials of Senseo, we have to keep an eye on the future and to continuously improve to deliver truly sustainable coffee and help preserve our planet. We are running an assessment of Senseo’s environmental impact, developing our future goals, targets and roadmap, along with a tracker, to ensure we’re progressing in the right direction.

“We’re never standing still. Our main goal is always to improve. We know where we’re doing well and where we need to improve and, looking into the future, where we want to be.”

Celine Borrat-Michaud - Global Marketing Director

(1) NEN-EN 13432 biodegradable and industrially compostable

(2) Where possible. Food Contact Materials (FCM) cannot be made from recycled plastic (EU Reg. 282/2008). Excl. FCM, >75% of plastic weight is recycled material.

(3) Based on a 2018 Life Cycle Assessment, comparing the environmental impact of six leading (single serve) coffee systems commonly sold  in the European market when brewing a long black coffee