Biological
The Keurig machine does not affect the human biology. It provides use for both women and men and does not require anyone to use the product differently. For those that struggle using it, there are simple instructions on each package as well as the easy-to-follow instructions online on almost any Keurig website.
Social
The Keurig company is facing much criticism due to that fact that yes, it is possible to recycle the K-Cups but it is still producing billions of K-Cups a year. Plastic takes years to degrade so if every other Keurig user does not recycle their K-Cup, that would mean that the pile up in landfills and the ocean would only increase. This all means that it would increase the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and the killing of wildlife. (Love Keurig? Nope, 2016) Is that worth it for just a low-quality convenience?
Cultural
Coffee pods are a popular thing right now. The sales of single-serve coffee, the kind first popularized in the US by Keurig, and widely known as K-cups, have more than tripled since 2011, MarketWatch reported in November 2014. As for the year of 2013, 13% of Americans drank a coffee made in a single-cup brewer each day, according to a survey by the National Coffee Association. Because they are such a growing company, K-Cups now make up more than a quarter of the United States market for ground coffee. (Ferdman, 2014)
Economic
The fact that both men and women use this product means that the economics of this product affects everyone. There are many ways to brew coffee and to be honest, a lot of these ways would cost less than using the Keurig. It is said that 30 cups of coffee can be brewed using only one pound of coffee. If there was a price comparison between K-Cups and a pound coffee, it would be noted that the average cost of a 24-pack of K-Cups is about $15 dollars versus the fact that the average bag of a pound of coffee is anywhere from$10-20 dollars. (Love Keurig? Nope, 2016)
Political
Back in 2015, Keurig hoped to clear up a misconception that their system only brewed Green Mountain or Keurig-owned brands. In order to do this they began putting together a campaign that promoted the fair-trade certified Laughing Man, a fairly new format of the K-cup. The Laughing Man was founded by actor, Hugh Jackman. It is still relatively an unknown brand so by teaming with Keurig, it is giving the Laughing Man a chance to expose it’s delicious coffee to different parts of the United States. (Faw, 2015)
Celebrity, Hugh Jackman, promoting the Laughing Man. (Faw, 2015)
The goal of the campaign was to maximize the exposure and cultural impact of the two merging together. A resource on the project noted that, “While the videos will run as pre-rolls and digital video ads in targeted placements, we are trying to balance e-commerce goals with cultural relevance by leaning strategically on social media, harnessing the collective power of Keurig and Hugh Jackman’s passionate fanbase”. (Faw, 2015)
According to Keurig Green Mountain’s financial files, the company spent $137.2 million on advertising for this campaign in the fiscal year of 2014, down from $193.2 million and 147.7 million in the fiscal years of 2013 and 2012. (Faw, 2015)
Educational
Keurig Green Mountain offers many different educational programs and projects that help support and give opportunities to worldwide communities. The company concentrates on three areas that they think is most important when it comes to their agricultural outreach efforts. The first of those three would be Whole-Farm Planning and Production: “We are building farmers’ capacity to sustainably increase yields and quality of their coffee crops while also encouraging income diversification that strengthens resilience to external shocks and food scarcity. We complement this agricultural assistance with educational programs on food security and nutrition”. (Supply Chain Outreach, 2014) The second are of focus is the Water Stewardship and Climate Resilience: ‘We are increasing access to potable water and improving water management for agriculture. We help supply chain communities incorporate climate- and water-smart production practices and the optimal use of resources that are better for farmers and better for the environment”. (Supply Chain Outreach, 2014) The last and final focus are is the Strong Rural Organizations: “We strengthen farmer organizations’ capacity to provide value-added services to farmers, including access to credit, agronomic assistance, inputs, quality assurance, and differentiated market channels”. (Supply Chain Outreach, 2014)
Keurig Green Mountain has been working with Save the Children in Sumatra since 2015. The company funds a training program that teaches thousands of farmers about advanced coffee production practices. They have also co-founded a project in Nicaragua that generates income for women through microcredit and also increases the effective citizen participation when it comes to food security issues. Because “good coffee management is good water management”, Keurig Green Mountain has also founded a program that teaches steps on how to improve local water quality and quantity in Central America. (Supply Chain Outreach, 2014)
