Consumers’ values and behaviour in the Brazilian coffee-in-capsules market: promoting circular economy

Coffee consumption is changing. Monodose, flavoured coffee capsules provide new experiences beyond the traditional custom of brewing coffee. These pods allow access to a selection of premium coffee worldwide but create huge quantities of plastic-aluminium packaging waste. The paper examines the novelty of coffee capsule consumption in Brazil in terms of consumers’ perspectives about ethical enterprise and environmental stewardship. We argue for ‘waste to resource’ management and applying reverse logistics to the coffee production supply chain. Based on circular economy principles and fuelled by the ‘green’ awareness of Brazilian coffee consumers, we propose a conceptual framework to support business decision-making by adopting a systemic intervention from the consumer viewpoint. To structure the situation, we conducted over 40 interviews, using purposive sampling. Analytic hierarchy process, value focused thinking and Rich Picture technique informed our problem structuring approach. Findings illustrate that reverse logistics supply chain in coffee capsule manufacturing presents real challenges to achieving circular practice. Yet, the eco-values of Brazilian coffee enthusiasts may be partly considered a ‘wealth of information flow’ and a potential driving force for change. This paper should be of interest to researchers/practitioners exploring how consumers may contribute to behavioural change, towards more circular business.