Editor’s Note
This article highlights Nescafé’s latest packaging refresh in Japan, focusing on sustainability and user experience. The update reflects ongoing efforts to reduce plastic and enhance the product’s environmental profile.
Nestlé Japan announced on March 6th that it is refreshing the refill pack for “Nescafé Gold Blend.” Since its launch in 2008, the company has continuously worked to reduce plastic usage and improve the packaging’s environmental profile. This latest refresh is based on the concept of making the refilling process “enjoyable.”
A key feature of the new package is that it allows refilling into a container of the user’s choice (recommended: airtight containers with an opening diameter of 6cm or more). The previous refill pack was only compatible with Nescafé’s dedicated jars.
The pack is placed over the container, and pressing it breaks the seal, allowing the coffee beans to be poured in. The design emphasizes a satisfying “click” sound when pressed.
While Nestlé is the world’s largest food manufacturer, its core principle has been to build businesses starting from social issues. When Henri Nestlé founded the company 150 years ago, infant mortality in Europe was high due to malnutrition. His first product was an infant cereal developed and sold to address this.
Nescafé, Nestlé’s main brand, was born in 1938. As the world’s largest coffee brand, it too was launched with the goal of solving a social issue. At the time, a coffee surplus in Brazil caused prices to plummet. Farmers were discarding large quantities of coffee, and the Brazilian government approached Nestlé to see if the surplus beans could be used to create a product with a longer shelf life. Thus, Nescafé was born.
The social issue Nescafé is currently tackling is the “Coffee 2050 Problem.” Land suitable for coffee cultivation is limited to between 25 degrees north and 25 degrees south latitude. Due to climate change, it is predicted that suitable land could shrink by up to 50%. Furthermore, about 80% of coffee farmers live in poverty.
With a growing population and increasing reliance on coffee, a day may come by 2050 when coffee is no longer available. To address this, Nescafé has launched the “Nescafé Plan 2030.”
The plan aims to switch to 100% responsibly sourced coffee globally by 2025, with 20% sourced through regenerative agriculture. By 2030, it aims to increase this proportion to 50% and halve greenhouse gas emissions. To achieve these goals, the company is investing 1 billion Swiss francs.
As part of this effort, Nescafé changed its brand concept to “Make your world” in the autumn of 2023, emphasizing sustainability at every stage from sourcing to consumption and disposal.
Nescafé already uses 100% responsibly sourced coffee beans that meet its responsible sourcing standards and has been working to reduce plastic usage in product packaging. It is also engaged in upcycling, developing new products from discarded packaging.
Nescafé’s brand aspiration is expressed as “That coffee makes you a bit of a hero.”
