Nexe Pods certified as compostable by BPI

The New York City-based Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) has certified Nexe Innovations Inc.’s single-use beverage pod and its associated components as compostable, Nexe Innovations says in a news release.

“We believe that the BPI certification, combined with the study done with the University of British Columbia and an independent commercial compost study that was completed at the Surrey Biofuel Facility, the first closed-loop organic waste facility in North America, will provide the industry with confidence that Nexe’s compostable products are the ideal green solution to the plastic waste plaguing our environment,” Nexe Innovations President Ash Guglani says. “NEXE understands that it is one of the only companies that completed an industrial composting study prior to applying for the BPI certification.”

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The Nexe compostable, single-use beverage pod has several key features protected by patents, including an innovative technology that allows for more volume per pod while delivering what the company says is an excellent “pour-over” coffee experience.

Nexe says it believes this solution represents a significant milestone for the industry. Replacing single-use plastic and aluminum pods with fully compostable materials has been a challenge, considering the stringent requirements of water resistance, pressure endurance and heat resilience. By conquering this complexity, Nexe says it has acquired valuable insights that will empower it to develop additional products for the market. 

“Nexe has gone through a significant transition. We have improved the performance of the single-use pod, which can go head-to-head with the plastic alternative, and have brought our manufacturing capabilities in-house,” Guglani says. “NEXE’s goal is to provide a fully compostable, single-use pod option to customers without compromising on performance and price.”

Nexe says it expects the BPI certification to provide its customers with the ability to differentiate their products as environmentally friendly to their end customers. Certification also should enable customers to comply with an increasingly restrictive regulatory environment and demonstrate their commitment to reducing waste.

In 2022, the single-use plastic and aluminum pods market was estimated to be more than $80 billion. Compostable single-use pods were about 4 percent of the total estimated market. This translates to about 3.5 billion compostable pods. Nexe says it believes that, alongside the competitive features of its Nexe Pod, its manufacturing capacity of about 500 million pods at its Windsor facility will provide the firm with a strong market position in a fragmented space.