Our story
A shared mission to make coffee pod recycling easy
We believe enjoying coffee pods and recycling them should go hand in hand. Coffee pods make it easy to enjoy great coffee at home. They're also made from valuable materials that can be recycled. Because used pods are small and still contain coffee, they currently need a dedicated recycling system rather than being collected together along with other materials in household recycling. That's where Podback comes in.
Podback was created by the leading names in coffee, Nestle and Jacobs Douwe Egberts, the names behind pod systems including NESCAFE Dolce Gusto, Nespresso and Tassimo. Our founders all had their own experiences of pod recycling, but in 2020 they agreed to work together to create one nationwide service that would be simple for their customers to use.
Podback was launched in April 2021, and our membership has since grown to include major brands, retailers and independent roasters, who together represent more than 80% of the UK coffee pod market. Our shared ambition is straightforward: to make recycling coffee pods as easy as enjoying the coffee itself. While we hope coffee pods will one day be accepted through mainstream household recycling, we’re proud that today Podback provides a practical, trusted way to ensure used pods are collected and recycled effectively.
