I was sipping on a cold brew the other day when I came across an article citing a rather intriguing study.

The study found that despite it being such a massive talking point over the last year, 34% of 18- to 24-year-olds, and 31% of 24- to 35-year-olds aren’t concerned about single-use plastic.

This completely disproves the idea that Millennials are on top of things when it comes to doing their bit for the environment.

Naturally, this sent me down a bit of Google rabbit hole, to find out why – the results of which can be summed up nicely by Harvard Business Review:

Consumers—particularly Millennials—increasingly say they want brands that embrace purpose and sustainability.

…Yet a frustrating paradox remains at the heart of green business: Few consumers who report positive attitudes toward eco-friendly products and services follow through with their wallets.

In one recent survey 65% said they want to buy purpose-driven brands that advocate sustainability, yet only about 26% actually do so.

There are a number of reasons why this is the case, but the most prevalent one seems to be ‘cost’ and ‘convenience’, and often the convenient route is not the most environmentally friendly one.

Take coffee pods, for example – and I’m going to put myself in the stocks, here.

Despite the recycling bag that comes with the coffee pods that I used to use at home, the total number of times that I’ve actually returned it to the distributor for recycling is a pathetic…zero.

The shame is real, but I’m probably not alone.

Humans are creatures of habit. Many behaviors, such as how we commute to work, what we buy, what we eat, and how we dispose of products and packaging, are part of our regular routines. Often the key to spreading sustainable consumer behaviors is to first break bad habits and then encourage good ones.

Coffee is a massive part of many a daily routine, which means that coffee pods, thanks to the bad habits formed around disposing of them conveniently, have become a massive part of landfills worldwide, where they take centuries to degrade.

Instead of beating ourselves up about it, though, let’s take action.

One of the ways to avoid coffee capsule waste is to switch to beans.

Terbodore’s ethically sourced, expertly farmed and roasted coffee beans hit the spot, and The Great Dane, with its lingering dark chocolate flavour and smooth, structured finish, is a real favourite.

But let’s get back to talking about the pods, because that’s often the convenient way to get your caffeine injection in the morning.

If like me, you need coffee pods and a machine to make the perfect brew, you can also stock up on Terbodore’s compostable coffee capsules.

Apart from the delicious The Great Dane, you can also enjoy English Toffee, Italian Hazelnut, Dutch Chocolate, French Vanilla, and even Colombian Decaf (if decaf is your thing).

Great taste, and the added bonus that you don’t have to choose between doing your bit to save the planet and your love (need) of coffee.

Terbodore coffee pods are 100% biodegradable, biobased and guaranteed to degrade in 14 to 16 weeks. They’re also working with 4WKS pods as one of their coffee roasters.

To give you an idea of why this is amazing, here’s a comparison chart:

Yep, that hard plastic pod you popped into your machine this morning is going to take roughly 300 years to degrade. Not cool.

If you want to stock up on Terbodore coffee, pods, beans or cold brew, stop in at their flagship establishment in Franschhoek, or check out their website.

Closer to town, Café du Cap, 113 Loop Street, is also showcasing those fine beans and pods.

It’s not often that the convenient option is also an environmentally conscious one.

Everyone’s a winner.

[source:harvardbusinessreview]