When Keurig came on the scene in 1998 with their K-cup pods, the NESPRESSOs of the time, it seemed like the perfect product.

A delicious cup of coffee and more from teas to lemonades and fruit-based drinks, brewed instantly when you need it. Offices, hotels, and individual users snatched it up. Plus it was a great business model. Sell customers the unique device, and they’ll also need to buy an endless supply of your product. But times change. Keurig is under huge pressure because its success has created a problem. Non-recyclable plastic coffee pods. The number of pods sold in a year could circle the world 10 times. From the beginning, this environmental problem was a concern, but the company took 10 years to develop a recyclable plastic pod and make it available by 2018. Is that enough to satisfy customers? Has Keurig leveraged its sense of purpose in time? Do you think that many companies without a true purpose beyond just-making-a-profit will survive in our days?

Photo Jonne Naarala