The Canadian arm of Keurig Dr Pepper Inc. has been fined for making statements about the recyclability of K-Cups that government arbitrators found to be inaccurate.
Canada’s Competition Bureau ruled that Keurig Canada had misled consumers about the recyclability of K-Cups, its signature single-use coffee pods. The problem is that outside the provinces of Quebec and British Columbia, most municipal recycling programs don’t accept K-Cups. It also found that Keurig had advised consumers that the pods could be recycled if the tops were peeled off and the grounds emptied; some recycling programs require additional steps.
The Competition Bureau, a law enforcement agency of the Canadian government, fined Keurig Canada $3 million (US$2.37 million), plus an additional $85,000 (US$67,000) for the agency’s costs. Keurig Canada must also donate $800,000 (US$630,981) to a Canadian environmental charity, and publish corrections in print, online and on the packaging of its new brewing machines.
