At approximately 550 pounds each, a total of 22,000 pounds of plastic recently made the journey to Revolution, a special plastics recycler in Arkansas.

The bags — which feature a propriety technology that both makes them both highly effective but also not recyclable through traditional means — will be broken down into pellets and transformed into new plastic products.

Revolution accepted and can use all the bales that GrainPro shipped to its facility. By contrast, data shows that currently, only about 5% of plastics put into recycling bins in the United States are actually turned into new things.

Additionally, to maximise the environmental outcome, GrainPro allowed competing hermetic bags to be included in the collection effort, while covering the costs of shipping all the bales.

Getting involved

If you aren’t yet involved but pick up coffee from Continental Terminals in New Jersey or Alameda, CA, you can simply fill out this form and bring your empty bags with you.

If you receive deliveries from CTI, you can have the bags collected from your site during delivery — just fill out the same form.

If you don’t work with those warehouses, you still have the option to mail in the bags with the same form.

The company is currently working to expand this programme into Europe this year, with help from InterAmerican Coffee Europe and other NKG companies. Additionally, it also hopes to establish “hubs” across the United States, to create more options for dropping off bags or bales. Organisations interested in becoming hubs are encouraged to get in touch.

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Nespresso customers now have two new options for recycling their coffee capsules with Royal Mail. They can arrange a free doorstep collection from their local postie using Royal Mail’s returns service. Alternatively, they can drop them off at any of the 14,000+ Royal Mail drop-off locations, including Royal Mail Customer Service Points and Post Offices.

Research commissioned by Nespresso to mark Recycle Week demonstrates just how important it is for recycling to be simple and convenient: despite 91% of Brits claiming they often recycle, many said they find recycling confusing (42%), and difficult (32%)*.

This partnership will increase nationwide access to easy and effective recycling methods for Nespresso capsules. Just over half of Royal Mails’ routes are wholly or partly on foot which helps to keep emissions low when compared to other carriers**.

Anna Lundstrom, CEO, Nespresso UK & ROI said, “Nespresso’s official partnership with Royal Mail brings recycling to the heart of the community, no matter where you live in the UK. Royal Mail is not only an iconic British institution, it also is recognised as having the lowest emissions per parcel** as their ‘feet on the street’ posties walk up to a billion steps a day. Recycling needs to be convenient, simple, and sustainable – and our partnership with Royal Mail is central to achieving that vision.”

Nick Landon, chief commercial officer at Royal Mail said, “We’re really pleased to be working with Nespresso to support their coffee capsule recycling. Everyone knows when their postie delivers so it’s really convenient to arrange for them to collect at the same time. If customers aren’t going to be in, Royal Mail can also collect from a safe place. To make it even more convenient, if customers don’t have a printer our posties can print and bring the label to the doorstep.

“And if Nespresso customers don’t want to arrange a collection, they can drop their capsules off at one of our 14,000+ Royal Mail locations. This is part of our commitment to continuously make our services more convenient as we re-invent the way we deliver to and collect from our customers.”

A pioneer of coffee capsule recycling, Nespresso also co-founded not-for-profit coffee pod recycling service, Podback. Nespresso UK customers can still use this service and can still drop their used capsules at any Nespresso Boutique.

Nespresso’s capsules are made with 80% recycled aluminium which is infinitely recyclable. Recycled aluminium is turned into new products such as beverage cans and car components. Used coffee grounds are also used to create soil improver, used on cereal farms in East Yorkshire, and renewable energy to power UK homes.

* Research was carried out by One Poll between 4th and 6th October 2023 with 2,000 adult respondents.
** When measured in terms of the CO2e emissions per parcel reported by the UK parcel delivery companies who currently publicly report these.

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Packaging has always been a balancing act. Consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies must weigh cost versus performance and market appeal versus machinability. As interest in sustainable packaging has grown, brand owners also must balance circularity with price, safety, distribution requirements, material availability, and overall environmental impact. This requires a dialogue among stakeholders about packaging design, material choices, and end-of-life disposal options.

To begin this conversation, PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, and AMERIPEN (the American Institute for Packaging and the Environment) have published the 2023 PACKAGING COMPASS: Evaluating Trends in US Packaging Design Over the Next Decade and Implications for the Future of a Circular Packaging System. The study and accompanying infographic identify key trends in packaging design and materials and the implications of these trends on legislation and the recovery systems for consumer-packaged goods (CPG) companies.

By releasing this deep dive into the trends driving the circular packaging system, PMMI hopes to facilitate an industry dialogue that will help close the gap between design needs and recovery needs. Based on extensive research and analysis, the study’s goal is to spark a conversation on trends, present forecasts for the coming decade, and recognise the role of multiple stakeholders in advancing a circular packaging system.

The 10-year forecasts and materials sales projections indicate plastic packaging, particularly the flexible pouch format; recycled-content packaging, primarily paper and plastic; and compostable packaging will experience the highest demand, although the latter represents a small share of the market. Despite the disparity in usage, these three formats have the same hurdles to overcome, a lack of end-of-life recovery infrastructure as well as effective legislative and investment strategies.

A survey of 394 CPG brands and retailers shows:

• 75 percent use plastics in packaging
• 61 percent use paper
• 14 percent use glass
• 13 percent use metal

Projections show plastics will grow across every category, and the use of flexible film will expand at a 4-6 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR), slightly above the 3-4 percent CAGR for plastics overall. Plastic films offer significant operational and sustainability benefits. Tensile strength delivers more protection with less material. Light weight and compact footprint reduce carbon emissions during distribution. Highly customisable materials run efficiently on filling lines and reduce overall cost and cycle time. Consumers appreciate the format’s light weight, reduced shelf space requirements, and potential for easy-opening and resealing features.

Although usage continues to grow, figures from the Recycling Partnership show only 1.9 percent of the US population has access to flexible film recycling. Most of this film is recovered from retail drop-off programs, but consumer participation in these programs is low. As a result, establishing a circular economy for flexible films will necessitate a substantial expansion in recycling infrastructure that involves better collection, sortation, and end-of-life reprocessing, potentially including widespread use of chemical recycling. The report explains chemical recycling is an emerging technology that reverts materials to their original monomers. Its adoption could enhance opportunities for the circular reuse of flexible films by increasing collection, lowering sortation requirements, and improving recycled resin quality by reducing contamination, colour, or scent concerns, thereby simplifying the regulatory acceptance of recycled resins for food-contact applications.

Compostable packaging has a projected CAGR of 15-16 percent during the next decade and is receiving a lot of attention because there is a perception that it offers a less-complicated end-of-life option. However, composting also suffers from a lack of infrastructure. According to statistics from the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, only 27 percent of the U.S. population has access to curbside composting programs, and only 11 percent of those composting programs accept packaging.

To realise the full circular potential of compostable packaging, the US needs to increase consumer access to composting by investing in the collection of compostable materials and in expanded access to composting facilities that accept food scraps along with packaging. As the US looks at investments into the necessary collection and processing infrastructure, the most immediate impact is likely to be attained if closed systems like stadiums, foodservice outlets, and cafeterias were implemented before household collection programs.

Recycled-content packaging is a popular path toward circularity. Design for recycling guidelines have been developed by several organizations and are helping the packaging industry choose combinations of polymers, labels, and additives that do not hinder a package’s recyclability. Many brand owners use these guidelines to help meet commitments to increase the use of recycled content. Unfortunately, a disconnect between strong demand and insufficient supply and processing capacity for recycled resin must be overcome. Like flexible packaging, potential solutions lie in simplified and improved collection, better sortation techniques, and greater capacity for end-of-life reprocessing. Chemical recycling could be a potential way to increase capacity as well as recycled resin quality.

Improving infrastructure

Achieving a circular economy depends on improving the infrastructure for collection, sortation, and end-of-life reprocessing. Policy changes will be needed to achieve these objectives. According to the report, establishing a circular economy will depend on the development of:

• Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). EPR programmes shift financial and operational responsibility for end-of-life management of products to producers instead of taxpayers and the government. As of spring 2023, four states (California, Colorado, Maine, and Oregon) have enacted EPR requirements, and more states are considering EPR bills. However, a national law would overcome a patchwork of differing state requirements and simplify compliance.

The research within this study indicates EPR programmes should include a focus on ways to improve the quality and quantity of recycled materials. Key considerations should explore how best to invest in the composting infrastructure, including packaging, and address how to handle hard-to-recycle materials by investing in collection and sortation technology and supporting end-market development. The data also show package design needs to consider many factors beyond design for recycling. Leveraging EPR to help balance all the design variables should create benefits for each stakeholder.

• Universal Access. Providing all households with convenient and consistent access to recycling and composting services would increase collection.
• Standardised Definitions. Definitions for commonly used terms like recycling and composting would ensure stakeholders are communicating a consistent message and reduce consumer confusion.
• Alternatives to Material Bans. Material bans can prevent CPG companies from choosing the optimum packaging material and increase a product’s environmental impact. Shifting from material bans to dialogues about collection, sorting and reprocessing gives brand owners the freedom to pick the best option.
• Recovery Innovation. Federal investments into programs uncovering emerging science and data are needed to drive efficiencies across packaging design and waste management.
• Data Collection. Consistent data collection will help measure and benchmark the performance of a circular packaging economy.
• Reusables Infrastructure. Reusables are another promising option to achieve circularity. However, as with other options, infrastructure is lacking, and investment is needed. According to the report, successful reusable packaging programs depend on redesigning distribution systems for reverse logistics. This will involve establishing safe and hygienic drop-off or pick-up collection points, which are convenient to consumers, and equipping production lines for washing and refilling. Currently, the adoption of reusables poses a daunting challenge for many packaging companies due to the costs to develop and scale a system to achieve a significant impact. A collaborative strategy that incentivises innovation is needed. Understanding the challenges and opportunities of reusables will require participation from a wide range of stakeholders.

Conclusion

A circular economy can be achieved by focusing on how best to invest in recycling and composting infrastructure across the US and tying that dialogue to what is happening with packaging design and the multiple variables packaging designers must juggle. Success will depend on how well members of the packaging value chain understand each other’s challenges and opportunities.

• Jorge Izquierdo is vice president of market development for PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies. Based in Herndon, Virgina, PMMI organises the Pack Expo portfolio of trade shows. This year’s Pack Expo Las Vegas takes place 11-13 September. To register or for more information, visit packexpolasvegas.com.

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This important work is being made possible through cooperation from Continental Terminals, a third-generation, family-owned warehousing company that has been a partner in the coffee value chain for more than 50 years.

US-based roasters can now send their used liners to Continental Terminals locations in Keasbey, NJ, or Alameda, California, via their preferred service (USPS, FedEx, UPS or DHL) or by personal delivery. Once the bags reach a Continental Terminals warehouse, they’ll be prepared to continue their journey to a unique recycling facility.

How it works

Participation is simple:

• Begin by emailing sustainability@grainpro.com saying you’ll be sending bags; an automatic response will offer helpful details and answers to FAQs.
• Next, put clean, empty bags in a box or GrainPro bag; adhere a label addressed to a Continental Terminals location; and apply postage. OR: Bring the bags to one of the warehouse addresses during a coffee pickup.

The warehouse addresses are:

CTI Annex                                        CTI NJ
300 Mitchell Ave                            300 Mac Lane
Alameda, CA 94501                       Keasbey, NJ 08832

“It’s our goal to be a responsible partner and leader in the green coffee industry, which means guiding the way toward improved sustainability,” said Nicolas Rueda, CEO of Neumann Gruppe USA. “We’re delighted to encourage the success of this effort by communicating its availability to our clients and networks.”

Neumann Gruppe USA (NGUS) represents InterAmerican Coffee, Rothfos Corporation and Atlas Coffee Importers, the three US-based import companies of Neumann Kaffee Gruppe. The NGUS companies have long-established relationships with roasters of every size and need across North America, as well as decades-old relationships with coffee producers, cooperatives and associations. Prioritising the future of coffee — via the social, environmental and economic factors impacting it — works in service of NGUS clients on both ends of the supply chain, as well as the NGUS vision to lead with responsibility, respect and an unwavering dedication to the product and people elevated through its best work.

In the near future, GrainPro and Neumann Gruppe USA plan to expand their partnership to similar collection efforts across Europe.

Without question, improving sustainability will require industry-wide approaches and collaborations. GrainPro and Neumann Gruppe USA are hopeful that coffee roasters — true to their passion for coffee and commitment to the environment — will agree to be the essential additional collaborators in this effort and take this powerful step toward a more sustainable tomorrow.

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The UK-based roaster’s new single-material bags are 100% recyclable and made from 70% recycled materials, which are plastics commonly disposed of in recycling bins.

For every 1,000,000 bags created, the equivalent of 53,000 600ml plastic bottles will be collected from rivers in the Philippines and Indonesia by the ethical recycling programme, Plastic Bank.

Paul Turton, Pact Coffee’s CEO, said: “If climate change continues at its current trajectory, it’s estimated that we’ll see a significant impact on 75% of Arabica supply, which has already fallen short of demand for the past two years”.

“Plastic pollution significantly reduces ecosystems’ ability to adapt to climate change, so reducing our usage, promoting a circular economy and funding schemes like this bag saves is exactly what we need to do to protect the future of coffee and the planet.

There was the option to instead choose ‘compostable’ packaging, and we understand that this is the preference for well-meaning customers.

However, around 90% of people don’t have the means to compost at home, and the growing data shows that lots of this packaging is ending up in landfill or blocking the food recycling process.

For this reason, we’re confident that we’ve chosen the most sustainable option while maintaining the trademark Pact Coffee freshness”.

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AmFiber Performance Paper is a recyclable, high barrier, paper-based packaging that was initially introduced in 2022 for snacks and confectionery offering high-barrier protection against oxygen and moisture, with excellent performance on brand owners’ packing machines.

In addition to expanding its application to new product categories, Amcor has invested in manufacturing capacity to meet growing demand for this kind of paper packaging. The company has integrated a state-of-the-art production line in its Amcor Flexibles Alzira plant in Spain, in support of Amcor’s global businesses. The production line is equipped to provide both cold- and heat-seal AmFiber packaging, delivering airtight seals to guarantee the proper product protection through the supply chain and along the full shelf life.

The advanced equipment at the Alzira plant – along with the team’s extensive experience in barrier technology, printing, and sealing processes – make it one of Amcor’s Centers of Excellence for flexible paper-based packaging.

“AmFiber Performance Paper offers brands the best of both worlds,” said Ilya Syshchikov, vice president, global product management AmFiber. “From a technical point of view, it delivers high barrier and excellent machinability. From an environmental point of view, it’s PVDC-free, available in FSC-certified paper, and recyclable in most European countries. In fact, independent recycling tests conducted by organisations such as Aticelca and PTS, have demonstrated an impressive material recovery rate during the recycling process.”

He added, “We have many exciting projects in our R&D pipeline for paper, and this expansion into culinary and beverage packaging is another important milestone toward developing recyclable paper packaging for all the segments we serve.”

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This Fres-co coffee package, along with Fres-co’s innovative degassing valve, received certification for recyclability in the NexTrex Recycling Program. As a complete solutions provider for flexible coffee packaging, Fres-co provides both packaging materials and machines to enable seamless commercialisation for its customers. The NexTrex certification makes Fres-co System USA, Inc. the first single-source flexible packaging provider to have an ultra-high barrier package with a near-zero oxygen transmission rate (OTR) certified in the programme.

“Fres-co is proud to continue advancing our sustainable packaging portfolio with the first ultra-high barrier coffee bag that is certified for the NexTrex recycling stream,” said Ileana Tovaglieri, CEO at Fres-co System USA, Inc. “This innovation offers our customers the ability to upcycle their consumers’ single-use coffee bags into long-lived construction products, all without any compromise to shelf life or venting performance.”

In a recent one-year shelf-life study, the Fres-co coffee package was shown to demonstrate no discernable difference in oxygen ingress compared to a legacy foil package. In the future, Fres-co is committed to developing more uncompromising sustainable package offerings and partnering with companies like Trex, who are making recycling widely accessible.

The NexTrex label assures consumers that they have the option to recycle packaging at grocery and retail store drop-off locations all over the United States. As one of the largest recyclers of polyethylene plastic film in North America, Trex upcycles approximately 450 million pounds of plastic film, bags, and wraps annually in the making of its decking. Over the past 30 years, the company has diverted more than 5 billion pounds of polyethylene plastic film from winding up in landfills.

The NexTrex Recycling Program makes it easy for brands to participate in its sustainability efforts. Unlike other recycling labels, the NexTrex label is available at no cost to brands whose packaging has been tested and verified as acceptable for recycling into Trex decking, which boasts warranties ranging from 25-50 years. Trex also works with brand owners and companies to encourage promotion and participation at the retail level. As one of the largest store drop-off programmes in the country, Trex offers a nationwide infrastructure of store drop-off collection bins and positions signage in stores to drive awareness and engagement in the plastic drop-off programme.

“By giving recycled plastic film a second life as high-performance, low-maintenance composite decking, Trex is providing a solution to manufacturers’ plastic waste concerns,” said Dave Heglas, senior director of supply chain excellence for Trex Company. “Our free package testing and labeling initiatives are intended to encourage more manufacturers to participate in the NexTrex programme, while ensuring that the plastic material we are collecting meets our high standards for production.”

To qualify for the certified NexTrex label, product packaging must be tested and validated by Trex, meeting the following three stages of testing: (1) package/film recyclability, (2) affect/risk of product contamination and (3) affect/risk of non-recyclable “look-a-like” package contamination. For the last testing stage, 75% of the majority of competitive packaging in the market must also be made of polyethylene plastic to avoid confusion with non-recyclable materials.

As a complete system provider, Fres-co System USA, Inc. can assist its brand partners with machine modifications to produce this next-generation, recycle-ready bag quickly for market use, helping to make an immediate positive impact on the environment. The Fres-co team also offers onsite machine training and maintenance, a full range of advanced printing and laminating capabilities, and ongoing support as an advisor.

To learn more about Fres-co and the company’s technical innovations and services, visit fresco.com. To learn more about the NexTrex Recycling Program and packaging label initiative, visit trex.com/recycling.

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Interest in sustainability continues to intensify among consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies, contract packagers, suppliers, and OEMs. In fact, sustainability is one of four key priorities identified in Challenges and Opportunities for Packaging and Processing Operations, a report published in October 2022 by PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, based in Herndon, Virginia.

Driving forces include concerns about climate change, carbon footprint, waste, ocean plastic litter, and single-use plastics; a desire to establish a circular economy; regulatory efforts worldwide; and an interest in reusable, renewable, recyclable, and recycled-content packaging and products.

An indication of the level of concern about single-use plastics is an advance notice of proposed rulemaking by the General Services Administration (GSA) in the United States (US), an administrative agency that provides supplies and workplaces for federal employees. The proposed rule, Single-Use Plastics and Packaging, would regulate the use of plastics consumed in both packaging and shipping as well as other single-use plastics the agency buys. Comments were due in September 2022 and are being reviewed to determine how the rule will be finalised.

A concept that Europe embraced decades ago, extended producer responsibility (EPR), is gaining favour in the US and other countries. In the US, EPR laws have been passed in the states of Oregon, Maine, California, and Colorado, and regulators are working on implementation. EPR laws are pending in several other US states. At the same time, industry attitudes toward EPR have shifted from negative to positive with groups like the Plastics Industry Association now supporting the concept. The American Institute for Packaging and the Environment, a coalition of packaging industry entities dedicated to improving packaging and the environment and known as AMERIPEN, plans to present a series of webinars about EPR requirements in the US. The series began in February and continues monthly through July 2023.

Globally, there are new EPR requirements in India, Japan, and the United Kingdom (UK). In the UK, data collection has begun in preparation for meeting EPR requirements in 2024.

Progress toward more sustainable packaging

The path to increased sustainability is not necessarily smooth. Hurdles fall into four categories: technical issues, productivity concerns, cost, and environmental awareness. To transition to more sustainable packaging materials, stakeholders must overcome a host of challenges such as security of supply, cost, quality of materials, buy-in from customers and marketing, production efficiency problems, the time and money required to carry out the experimentation and testing needed to ensure the new materials will be successful, and the learning curve involved with implementation.

Stakeholders rely on a variety of tactics to make packaging more sustainable. This includes commitments to recyclable, recycled-content, and/or reusable packaging; replacement of multilayer materials with more easily recycled mono-material structures; interest in biodegradable, compostable, and renewable substrates; source reduction efforts, particularly transitions from rigid to flexible packaging; and carbon footprint reduction.

Materials receiving attention include polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and bio-based polymers. PHA is a renewable plant-based polyester that is biodegradable in soil or marine environments and compostable.

PVA also is biodegradable and compostable, and nontoxic in land and ocean environments. In some cases, it can serve as an alternative to ethylene vinyl alcohol barrier resin. As an extrusion coating on paper or part of a paper lamination, PVA provides strength and a barrier to oxygen, oil, and grease. Its solubility in water makes the resulting paper structures compatible with paper recycling streams.

Bio-based polyethylene (PE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polypropylene (PP) are derived from feedstocks based on renewable plants like sugarcane but are equivalent to traditional resins in properties and performance.

On the recycling side, new technologies for the separation and recovery of materials are being developed. This includes marking schemes to expedite sorting for recycling, thermochemical recycling processes, and the collection and processing of plastic waste from the oceans. Meanwhile, demand continues to rise for packaging materials with recycled content. A growing number of plastics with post-consumer recycled content has received a letter of no objection from the US Food and Drug Administration for use in food-contact applications. As a result, it should be relatively easy to source PET, high-density PE, low-density PE, linear-low-density PE, and PP with various levels of recycled content.

To help consumers recycle packaging properly, many US brand owners are adopting How2Recycle labels. Established in 2012 by the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, the How2Recycle programme seeks to standardise recycling labelling, divert recyclables from landfills, and educate consumers.

A successful transition to more sustainable packaging depends on considering sustainability from the beginning. Nerida Kelton, vice president Sustainability & Save Food at the World Packaging Organisation (WPO), explains, “to apply recyclable packaging design, a certain fundamental knowledge of sorting and recycling processes is necessary. Packaging must, therefore, be suitable for state-of-the-art sorting and recycling processes in addition to its basic functions (eg, storage, transport, product protection, product presentation, and convenience).”

Guidelines from WPO help designers consider these factors early in the product development process and ensure the resulting packaging poses no issues when recycled in existing streams. WPO’s “Global Packaging Design for Recycling Guide” is now available in seven languages with the recent addition of Arabic, Spanish, and Czech translations to the existing offerings in English, German, Georgian, and Hungarian. Ayman Sbeih, chairman of the Palestinian Federation of Paper & Packaging Industries and coordinator of the Arabic translation, said, “Translating the Global Packaging Design for Recycling Guide into Arabic was extremely important to ensure that we take steady steps based on scientific foundations to achieve a circular economy. This will contribute to addressing challenges that face the world in terms of climate change, the environment, and the preservation of natural resources.”

Beyond packaging

For many beverage brand owners, sustainability initiatives extend far beyond packaging to include commitments to zero waste to landfill, net zero greenhouse gas emissions, energy/water conservation, and adoption of renewable energy sources such as wind or solar power.

Other associated goals involve corporate citizenship and include ethical business practices, diversity, and Fair Chance hiring, which provides employment for those with criminal records. Other tactics include compliance with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and participation in organizations such as the Ellen Macarthur Foundation and the Science Based Targets initiative associated with the Paris Climate Agreement.

• Jorge Izquierdo is vice president, market development at The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, which organises the Pack Expo portfolio of packaging and processing shows. This year’s Pack Expo will take place in Las Vegas, Nevada, 11-13 September. For more information, visit: packexpolasvegas.com. To learn more about PMMI, visit: www.pmmi.org.

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According to a survey conducted by Future Market Insights (FMI), cost remains a significant hurdle preventing smaller brands from investing in sustainable packaging, while packaging suppliers and converters face eroding margins due to high material prices. That said, FMI estimates that the market for sustainable packaging will cross the US$500 billion annual mark by 2030, driven by manufacturer, consumer, and regulatory demands. Within the next decade, sustainable packaging will no longer be a choice, but a necessity says the firm.

On 28 March, FMI hosted a virtual roundtable, “Making Sustainable Packaging Commercially Viable,” with three experts weighing in on the challenges that are holding back greater adoption at a faster rate.

“Sustainability is no longer marketing jargon or a buzzword anymore,” explained Ismail Sutaria, chief research analyst at FMI, noting that “businesses are rapidly developing and using packaging materials that not only increase the life cycle inventory, but also reduce the ecological footprint.” He notes that the significant momentum gained by the concept of the circular economy has grabbed the attention of numerous packaging giants as well as governments, responding to the realities of packaging waste and its impact on the environment.

Sutaria sees successful sustainable packaging as balancing several key attributes: low carbon footprint, lightweight, environmentally friendly, fully circular, higher rates of recycling, and perhaps most importantly to packaged food and beverage producers, better shelf life for the products themselves.

Missing currently from the advances in the sector, despite continuous innovations in materials and substrates, and a growing number of consumer product rollouts, are a high degree of adoption; to achieve a successful sustainable packaging eco-system, widespread commercialisation is required. To their credit, the food and, in particular, beverage industries are the global leaders in adopting sustainable packaging.

While sustainable packaging designs for any given product can save certain costs—reduced shipping weights for example—the cost of switching from a previous format can be quite expensive. Sustainable packaging can only be commercially viable through mass scale adoption, Sutaria stresses.

An interesting wrinkle, he notes, is that consumer perception of recyclability doesn’t always align with the actual carbon impact of packaging. Production of PET beverage containers, for example, might be lower in greenhouse gas impact, but aluminium cans have the edge in recycling rates.

In terms of consumer shopping behavior, Millennials are by far the most aggressive generation to date when it comes to preferring companies with “purpose,” such as reducing pollution or waste, and have the highest interest in choosing products with eco-friendly, sustainable packaging.

In short, Sutaria says that the higher perceived costs (led by the inability to pass on costs to consumer and the higher cost of sustainable materials), combined with inadequate recycling infrastructure and complex government regulations, are all deterrents to mass scale adoption of sustainable packaging. Collaboration across regions in regard to tracing, waste collection, and sorting and recycling systems is the missing key in what’s limiting the success of sustainable packaging and in achieving circularity

Robert Flores, VP of sustainability at Berry Global, Inc., an Indiana, USA-based manufacturer of plastic packaging products at over 265 regional facilities worldwide and 56 years of experience, said his firm sees the future of plastics moving to recycling and renewable. Mechanically recycled plastic can achieve significant energy use savings versus production of virgin plastics, says Flores, while the production of bio-plastics from renewable resources such as crops rather than fossil fuels could potentially move that process toward net-zero carbon emissions. Lightweighting—reducing the amount of plastic used in redesigned packaging—shrinks not only carbon footprints but also customer cost while improving circularity, he adds.

Tristan Kaye, commercial director of Notpla Limited, founded in 2014, explained that his firm focuses on single-use packaging in the consumer space, challenging long-standing conventions about packaging. The East London-based startup has rapidly developed an innovative portfolio of advanced, all-natural packaging products made from seaweed and plants that are naturally biodegradable and home-compostable. Some are entirely edible and impart no flavour, such as beverage “blobs” or dissolvable instant coffee sachets. Kaye said, however, Nopla is particularly focused on industrialising and scaling its seaweed-based coating as an alternative to plastic inner liners on fiber-based packaging, allowing the entire package to be composted. Other uses are in earlier stages of R&D.

Kaye noted that some other newer biodegradable products, such as PHA, PLA and PBAT are actually seeing prices increase due to changing EU classification standards. “In the EU, there is now a common definition around single-use plastic,” said Kaye, the two key aspects being it must be a natural polymer and not chemically modified. As such, Kaye said that PHA and similar products are now being classified as plastics in the EU. “So even though as we scale as a business and we’re trying to bring our costs down, we also see that other materials are getting more expensive through the role of regulation,” he noted.

• E Edward ‘Ted’ Hoyt has more than two decades of experience as a trade magazine editor and freelance writer, authoring many articles in the premium coffee, spirits and cigar industries, among others.

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Sustainability is no longer just a buzzword in the beverage industry — it’s a major issue for consumers and, therefore, for producers as well. In terms of packaging, sustainability centers upon materials, including the material used for the container or package itself, and whether that material comes from recycled sources or if it can be recycled after use. The United States needs to recycle beverage packaging much more efficiently than it does today—according to a recent study by PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, only 25 per cent of plastic bottles in the US are recycled each year.

What will it take to boost recycling rates and achieve the Environmental Protection Agency’s goal of a 50 per cent recycling rate by 2030? And are there other strategies for beverage producers and manufacturers to improve packaging sustainability? Let’s take a closer look at what the industry is doing today, and what it can do in the future.

Developing better recycling programmes

To start, regularisation of what can and cannot be recycled will make the process easier for consumers, thereby driving more material into recycling streams. Organisations are indeed taking action to eliminate barriers to recycling. As part of its ‘Blueprint for America’s Recycling System’, for example, the Recycling Leadership Council (RLC), a group convened in 2020 by the Consumer Brands Association, calls for a national strategy on recycling and policy action, including a plan to standardise the recycling system.

“Currently, each programme collects different combinations of materials. With a standardised system, programmes can collect more volume, which allows for more and different types of materials to be collected and processed for post-consumer recycled content, keeping recyclable waste out of landfills and waterways,” explained Meghan Stasz, senior director, Sustainability at the Consumer Brands Association, in a recent blog post.

The beverage industry is already making important strides, take for instance the American Beverage Association, which is undertaking efforts to spur more recycling with its Every Bottle Back programme. This aims to improve recycling infrastructure, measure the industry’s plastic footprint, make 100 per cent recyclable bottles, add recycling-promoting messaging on packaging, raise awareness, and inspire action.

Similarly, the Can Manufacturers Institute is working to retrieve the 25 per cent of aluminium cans currently missorted and lost at material recovery facilities. Toward that end, it has established a grant programme to help install eddy current equipment and quality control robots that can identify and capture the cans that otherwise would be overlooked.

Materials matter

Just as recycling must increase, so too must the use of different materials for beverage packaging. For example, switching from virgin plastic to recycled plastic, known as rPET, is an increasingly common strategy for beverage manufacturers. In PMMI’s recent study, we found that 89 per cent of manufacturers interviewed are actively looking to incorporate more recycled material into their packaging, and 67 per cent are already transitioning from PET to rPET bottles.

Low plastic recycling rates, however, mean that the supply of rPET can be constrained. An obvious alternative is aluminium, which is considered highly sustainable thanks to its ability to be recycled almost infinitely. There is also growing interest in paper-based bottles, which one respondent to PMMI’s study called ‘the holy grail’. It’s important to note that the industry still needs to overcome some functional hurdles with paper bottles, such as preventing the packaging from leaching into the product and ensuring it can hold up to environmental stressors. But continued innovation in materials and packaging formats means that new and better solutions are in the process of being developed.

Finding sustainable solutions

Beverage producers, OEMs, and industry associations all need to work together to make a circular economy a reality for the beverage industry. Regularised recycling programmes, cutting-edge materials science, and a collaborative approach are all necessary to address the scale of the plastics waste issue and make the industry as a whole more sustainable.

Efforts to create a more sustainable world will be featured at Pack Expo International (23-26 October, Chicago, Illinois), where a Pack Expo Green icon identifies exhibitors that provide renewable, biodegradable, source-reduced, recyclable, and/or recycled-content packaging materials or technologies that reduce carbon footprint.

• Jorge Izquierdo is vice president, market development at PMMI, The Association of Packaging and Processing Technologies, based in Herndon, Virginia. PMMI organises the Pack Expo portfolio of trade shows, including the upcoming Pack Expo International. For more information and to register, visit packexpointernational.com. To learn more about PMMI, visit: www.pmmi.org.

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bio-bean is a rapidly growing organisation which began business in 2013. The company launched the world’s first industrial-scale coffee recycling factory before developing and launching Coffee Logs, which are an environmentally-friendly, sustainable fuel alternative for log burners and multi-fuel stoves. 

The fully automated packing cell, designed and built by CKF Systems in their state-of-the-art facility in Gloucester, was installed and commissioned in the customer premises in 2021. The machine is designed and built to pack 2880 coffee logs per hour. 

Ben Mills-Lamptey, CTO at bio-bean said: “The design and engineering of the Coffee Logs bag Auto Packer by CKF has successfully delivered bio-bean. It’s an innovative solution that enables us to scale our production whilst retaining our fully sustainable and unique product packaging. It has also enhanced the productivity and profitability of our business.

Throughout the project CKF’s understanding of our manufacturing strategy, and in particular our packaging requirements, along with our current technical capability ensured key milestones were met. Like with most innovative and technically challenging projects, CKF were able to sufficiently address challenges which included variations in our technical requirements as well as supply chain issues arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.

As a company we’re pleased we chose CKF as a supplier for such a significant piece of equipment. We look forward to partnering with them in the future as we expand our business further.”

To find out more about CKF Systems and what we could do for your operations please visit www.ckf.co.uk or email info@ckf.co.uk. 

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With consumers demanding brands and retailers reduce their use of unnecessary packaging on products, a shift has occurred with more and more Reusable & Refillable Programmes being trialled across the world. Many brands and retailers are trialling the Reuse model to determine whether consumers truly are prepared to change their buying behaviour to become more sustainable.

Whilst Reusable & Refillable Programmes are receiving positive feedback in other categories such as domestic, household and cosmetics, the food models may present more barriers, particularly around perceptions of health, safety and hygiene. How retailers and the partner brands communicate the messaging is paramount to the success of the Reuse Model for Food categories.

Loop: a new waste-free & reusable way to shop

One of the most innovative global programmes for reusable and refillable packaging is Loop; a first-of-its-kind service from global recycling organisation TerraCycle. The model is designed to create a zero-waste environment whereby retailers, packaging suppliers, brands and consumers work together to effectively minimise unnecessary single-use packaging.

The Loop programme enables products to be delivered to a consumer’s home in zero-waste packaging that has been designed in partnership with the brands. Some food brands that are partnering with the programme include Nestlé, Burlap & Barrel, Danone, Nature’s Path Organic, Häagen-Dazs, International Harvest, Reinberger Nut Butter, and Puretto.

How does loop work in a retail environment?

The customer purchases the product and initially pays a 100 per cent refundable deposit to ‘borrow the returnable packaging.’ Once consumed, Loop collects the empty packaging from the household and ensures that the packaging undergoes a rigorous hygienic cleaning process specially designed for its category and product type. Loop returns the cleaned packaging to the manufacturer who refills the product ready for repurchasing and continuing the ‘loop.’ The deposit is refunded when the customer no longer requires the product.

The Loop packaging is designed to be durable, reusable, and refillable and as an alternative to single-use packaging. The packaging design has taken into consideration design functionality, end-of-life, use of recycled content, reusable materials, and a recycling methodology for all solutions. To achieve the environmental benefits, the Loop programme packaging also needs to achieve the required number of return trips/usage. This is a critical design aspect to balance the additional environmental factors (CO2/energy/water) that will be incurred with the extra packaging weight, transport, and cleaning involved. A Life Cycle Assessment will be important in determining the best packaging formats to ensure that the packaging can be recycled at its end of life.

The Loop programme is now available in France (Carrefour), the United States (Kroger and Walgreens) and the United Kingdom (Tesco) and Canada (Loblaws). Programmes are coming soon across Japan (AEON), Australia (Woolworths) and Germany.

Refillable Häagen-Dazs right to your door

Nestlé, in partnership with Loop, have developed a reuse model that enables consumers to enjoy Häagen-Dazs in reusable packaging. Deliveries are made to the consumer’s front doorstep in customised, durable packaging that is then collected, cleaned, refilled, and re-used. Häagen-Dazs has designed a reusable double-walled steel canister that keeps the ice cream at optimal condition during transport and consumption. The canister design ensures that when opened, the ice cream melts more quickly at the top than at the bottom of the container. The canister is then sent back to a facility for cleaning and reuse.

Nestle began a test programme in Switzerland in 2020 where consumers can bringing reusable Nestle jars to refill their Nescafe soluble coffee. Image: Nestle

In-store refill stations and sustainable stores

In recent times there has been an encouraging shift in the retail environment where a broad range of brands are trialling Refill Stations in-store. In-Store Refill Stations are convenient for the customer and are another means of minimising unnecessary packaging in the retail aisles.

Asda trials new Sustainability Store

In late 2020 Asda, in the United Kingdom, opened a trial Sustainability Store in Middleton, Leeds. During the trial, customers were able to choose from more than 30 packaging-free product lines from refill stations. They include PG Tips tea bags, Kellogg’s cereals, Quaker Oats porridge, and Vimto cordial. Asda has also made some of its own-brand pasta and rice lines available in a packaging-free format.

Nestlé refill stations help reduce single-use packaging

In May 2020, Nestlé announced a pilot programme in three stores in Switzerland for in-store refill stations for soluble coffee. Customers can bring in their own reusable Nestlé jars and conveniently refill their coffee. The user-friendly system created in partnership with MIWA (Minimum Waste), a company that provides waste-free shopping solutions, also enables customers to have digital access to product information such as shelf life and ingredients.

Another form of reusable packaging is to provide an attractive and durable pack to replace single-use packaging. This packaging design concept will be particularly important where current packaging formats are not recyclable. A prime example of this is trigger spray packs, where the current multi-components trigger sprays make them difficult to recycle. The ‘refill option’ for the reusable pack is achieved by providing a lightweight recyclable refill pack.

Murray River Organics (MRO) launched a Muesli range in the Reusable PET cannister in 2020. MRO is examining opportunities to develop recyclable refill packaging to ensure their ‘Reuseable’ cannister can also be a ‘refillable’ cannister. A refill pouch can be one-way that food products can counter negative perceptions of health, safety and hygiene issues.

It is encouraging to see so many retailers and brands trialling the Reuse Model and working with their customers to find out how the world can collectively eliminate unnecessary single-use packaging pollution.

I look forward to seeing consumers embrace these programmes so that we can head towards a zero-waste world.

• Nerida Kelton is the vice president, sustainability & save food at the World Packaging Organisation (WPO) and the executive director at the Australian Institute of Packaging (AIP)

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Podback is a first of its kind recycling programme, bringing together all brands of coffee pods to create one easy recycling service. Artisan Coffee Co customers can now add free Podback bags to their orders of coffee pods. Once received they can put their used coffee pods in the bags and have them recycled either by dropping them off at Collect+ delivered by Yodel sites or through kerbside collection, where, in certain local authorities, pods will be collected with their usual household recycling.*

Podback ensures that both the used coffee and pod are reused as much as possible. Whether it’s recycled pods that can be used to create drinks cans, car parts, or furniture. Or the coffee inside them, which is repurposed and used to create renewable energy and compost.

Artisan Coffee Co is proud to source coffee beans ethically and sustainably, prioritising fair trade, organic coffee wherever possible, and believes we each have a role to play in looking after our environment. This new partnership is the next step in its pro-planet mission, and means consumers can enjoy coffee ethically and sustainably.

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Podback, a not-for-profit organisation, is the UK’s first cross-industry collaboration of its kind within the coffee sector, providing easy ways for UK consumers to recycle coffee pods.

Launching in early 2021, the scheme will initially cover brands including Nespresso, Nescafé Dolce Gusto and Tassimo – representing the majority of the UK market – and the ambition is to expand the programme to include all coffee brands that use plastic or aluminium pods in the UK.

The move comes as new research reveals confusion amongst consumers, with more than a third (35%) of coffee pod drinkers unaware that pods can be recycled, and nine in 10 (90%) stating that they’d like to be able to recycle their coffee pods through their usual household recycling.

Guillaume Chesneau, managing director, Nespresso UK and Ireland, and board director of Podback, said: “As co- founders of the scheme, as well as pioneers of the minimal-waste portioned coffee system, we are excited to build on our strong existing recycling services already in place. Our ambition is to create a powerful end-to-end recycling solution, available to all, and Podback demonstrates our commitment towards achieving this important goal.

“We are working closely with manufacturers, retailers and local authorities and calling upon them to join us and ensure the scheme has maximum impact.”

Toby Bevans, marketing director, JDE UK and Ireland, and board director of Podback, said: “We are proud to be a co-founder of Podback in the UK, working to ensure that every pod enjoyed, is easily recycled.

“Together with Nestlé, we are calling on the entire industry to put commercial rivalries aside and collaborate, working together with other brands and retailers to make it as easy as possible for our consumers to recycle their pods.”

Podback will expand recycling options for coffee pods in three ways:

• Collect+: Consumers will be able to take their used coffee pods to their nearest Collect+ delivered by Yodel drop-off point. There are more than 6,500 drop-off points in local stores across the UK, open seven days a week.
• Kerbside collection: In a pioneering effort to make recycling easier for consumers, coffee pods will be collected alongside regular household waste and recycling. This has not previously been possible within the UK’s waste infrastructure. Exeter City Council, Cheltenham Borough Council and South Derbyshire District Council are in advanced discussions with Podback to become the first confirmed partners, meaning that from launch, over 330,000 residents living in these areas will be able to have their pods collected alongside their household waste and recycling. Podback is in live discussions with several other local authorities to have collections operational at launch, with ambitious plans to expand across the UK.
• Retailer ‘handover at home’: Podback is reportedly in ongoing discussions with retailers to facilitate a ‘handover at home’ option, meaning that consumers can have their used coffee pods collected for recycling when they have their groceries delivered. While this is unlikely to be ready for launch, Podback partners are working hard to make this a reality as soon as possible.

Councillor Chris Coleman, cabinet member Clean and Green Environment, Cheltenham Borough Council, said: “We’re pleased to be working with Podback, as one of the scheme’s first local authority partners, to offer our residents a simple way to recycle their coffee pods from their homes, particularly now many of us are doing more home working. Recycling is one of the easiest steps we can all take to protect the environment, and we’re looking forward to bringing this scheme to our residents early next year.”

Collected pods will be taken to re-processors in the UK to separate the packaging from the used coffee grounds before being recycled into a range of everyday products.

Richard Howatson, business unit manager, Nescafé Dolce Gusto and Starbucks at Home: said: “There is power in collaboration and we know that by joining forces we can have even greater influence over the recycling rate of pods. Over the months ahead, we’ll be working closely with local authorities and other partners to make this a reality through Podback – meaning coffee drinkers will have a simple and effective way to recycle their pods, whichever brand they choose.”

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Introduced in February 2020, the cup was heralded as ‘a truly sustainable solution for hot drinks and the first of its kind in the vending industry’. The cup is constructed of a patented water-based dispersion barrier board, which is PEFC accredited and sourced from sustainably managed forests.

The expansion of the KLIX Eco Cup range is a further demonstration of Lavazza Professional’s commitment to ‘helping [its] customers to achieve their objectives’. Increasingly, customers are demanding that the products they purchase throughout their businesses are recyclable, plastic free and sustainable – and the breakroom is a major focus for them in this mission.

Customers can now purchase Lavazza Professional’s entire coffee range – Nescafe Gold Blend, Nescafe Original and Kenco – plus Lipton Lemon Tea in a KLIX Eco Cup. Additionally, the cup’s deployment is expanding to embrace the company’s cold drinks: a choice of flavoured water drinks, comprised of Citrus Fruits, Orange & Peach and Summer Fruits, are also now available in the KLIX Eco Cup.

Lavazza sees its KLIX Eco Cup as a pioneering breakthrough, bringing an exciting and sustainable solution to the vending world, as currently only one in 400 cups are recycled. Lavazza says its new cup can bring the industry a step closer to improving that statistic by using pioneering technology to drastically reduce the amount of PE plastic used in paper cups and in so doing, take a significant step towards increasing cup recycling.

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Through the Coffee Pod Recycling Program, the latest eco-friendly initiative from the family-owned company, consumers can now send in their used single serve coffee pods and espresso capsules to be recycled for free. To participate, customers will sign up on the TerraCycle program page at www.terracycle.com/gavina and mail in the used pods and capsules using a pre-paid shipping label. Once collected, the packaging is cleaned, separated by material type, melted and remolded to make new recycled products while the residual coffee is sent to an industrial composting facility. Additionally, with every shipment sent to TerraCycle through the program, consumers can earn points that can be used for charitable gifts or converted to cash and donated to the non-profit, school or charitable organisation of their choice.

“As coffee growers and roasters, my family built our business on a 150-year legacy and passion for coffee that runs deep and spans four generations,” said Lisette Gaviña Lopez, executive marketing director at F Gaviña & Sons, Inc.

“Sustainability is at the core of every business decision we make, and as we innovate to meet the changing needs and preferences of our customers, we also look for new ways to minimize environmental impact. Through our partnership with TerraCycle we can now extend our environmental efforts beyond the shelf with a responsible recycling program for our espresso capsule and coffee pod customers.”

“At TerraCycle, we understand American’s love affair with a great cup of coffee – we share the sentiment,” said Tom Szaky, TerraCycle’s founder and CEO.

“But through the Coffee Pod Recycling Program, coffee connoisseurs can enjoy their favorite pick-me-up, easily reduce waste, all without sacrificing the enjoyment of their favorite brew.”

F Gaviña & Sons’ commitment to sustainability led to the creation of the Direct Impact Initiative, which focuses on four pillars: dedication to farmers, sustainable sourcing, environmental sustainability, and social stewardship. Dedicated to smallholder farmers and the land they work upon, Gaviña and partners work towards improving the quality of life and increasing social and economic development in Coffee Belt farming communities. These efforts include technical assistance for Guatemalan farmers to employ sustainable farming techniques while increasing household income, and building a central coffee processing wet mill in Colombia to help local smallholder farmers adapt to climate change while reducing environmental footprint. The company also sources certified coffees from Rainforest Alliance, Fair Trade USA and USDA certified Organic, and roasts all its coffee from its Zero Waste to Landfill plant in Vernon, California.

The Coffee Pod Recycling Program is open to any interested individual, school, office, or community organisation. For more information on TerraCycle’s recycling program, visit: www.terracycle.com.

For more information on Don Francisco’s Coffee and Café La Llave brands, visit: www.donfranciscos.com.

For more information about parent company F Gaviña & Sons, Inc and its sustainability efforts, visit: www.gavina.com.

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The independent Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) analysis by Intertek, one of the world’s leading Total Quality Assurance providers, is the first to measure the environmental impact of producing, using and disposing of all types of single use coffee cups, including the whole supply chain from growing trees, paper-making, plastic production, transport, cup and sleeve manufacture, delivery and waste processing.

It found that each conventional single use coffee cup requires 0.58 litres of water to produce and has a carbon footprint of up to 60.9 grams of CO2e per cup. This is because conventional, coated and compostable cups are all made from virgin paper.

That means 1.45 billion litres of water and 1.03 million trees are used to produce more than 2.5 billion coffee cups used in the UK every year and 290 billion litres and 206.3 million trees to make the estimated 500 billion cups used globally.

The carbon footprint of the 2.5 billion cups that go to landfill in the UK is therefore over 152,000 tonnes of CO2e, the equivalent of 33,300 cars being driven for a year. Globally for the 500 billion cups, that is over 30.4 million tonnes, the CO2 equivalent of providing electricity to 5,155,366 households – a city the size of Paris.

However, if the UK moved over to the Frugal Cup, which is made from 96% recycled paper with no waterproofing chemicals, it could save over a billion litres of water and up to a million trees a year. Repeated globally, 215 billion litres of water and 198 million trees could be saved per year.

The analysis shows that if Frugal Cups replaced the more than 2.5 billion coffee cups used in the UK every year, the carbon saving would be approximately 90,315 tonnes of CO2e, which is the carbon equivalent of:

• Driving more than 224 million miles in an average car. Enough to drive around the world 8,996 times and take 19,502 cars off the road
• Charging 11.5 billion smartphones. More than enough to charge every smartphone on the planet three times
• Sequestering carbon from 117,947 acres of forest – the size of 68,300 football pitches
• Providing electricity for 15,291 homes for a year – the size of a town like Port Talbot.

If the 500 billion paper cups consumed globally were replaced with Frugal Cup, more than 18 million tonnes of CO2e could be saved, which would be the carbon equivalent of 42 million barrels of oil, driving around the world 1.8 million times or providing electricity to 3,058,173 households for a year – more than enough to power whole countries like Scotland, Denmark or Finland.

Replacing the UK’s more than 2.5 billion cups with Frugal Cup could also save 1.07 billion litres of water every year, the equivalent of 400 Olympic-sized swimming pools, and more than 990,099 trees. (This figure is based on 2006 US statistics that found 6.6 million trees were cut down to produce 16 billion paper coffee cups, therefore averaging 2,424 paper cups per tree and the Frugal Cup being made of 96% recycled paper).

Frugalpac’s chief executive, Malcolm Waugh, said: “This independent study conclusively proves that the Frugal Cup is the most environmentally friendly paper cup available and could easily become the standard if the major coffee chains accepted it.

“It’s the only cup that uses recycled paper and whichever way you dispose of it, still produces by far the lowest carbon and water footprints against conventional, coated and compostable cups.

“It’s increasingly clear that people and businesses have to live and work more sustainably. Recycling coffee cups is still a huge problem. There is only one dedicated waste facility in the UK to process conventional cups and 53 industrial composting sites that could process compostable cups. Increasing that capacity will cost tens of millions of pounds and take decades to achieve.

“The Frugal Cup has been specifically designed to go through conventional recycling facilities. Moving over to our cup will protect the environment, reduce carbon emissions, save billions of litres of water and stop millions of trees needlessly being cut down to produce single use cups made of virgin paper.”

The Frugal Cup is already being used in independent coffee shops across the UK and in universities such as the London School of Economics (LSE).

Marcelo Warmling, Hospitality & Catering manager at the LSE, said:

“Standard virgin paper cups with a plastic liner are extremely difficult to collect, sort, and recycle because of their components and construction. That’s why we decided to stock the Frugal Cup across all our catering outlets.

“Manufactured in UK – using a market-leading 96% recycled paper and no waterproofing chemicals – the Frugal Cup delivers considerable reductions in the use of energy and carbon. With such impressive Life Cycle Analysis results, the Frugal Cup was the only choice for us. Plus, as it is manufactured using recycled paper, it has already completed several loops of recycling prior to it becoming a cup, which means that the process is truly circular.”

To more information about the Frugal Cup, visit: www.frugalpac.com.

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“Through our new plant-based platform, we seek to inspire new routines by inviting everyone to eat good, feel good and do good. Together, we can take a small, humble step to make a better world,” said Leo Tsoi, svp, COO and president, Starbucks China Retail.

Starbucks is committed to constantly reimagining its menu to offer a range of food and beverage choices for customers and continues to explore creative new solutions with customers beyond its menu to create a positive impact on the environment and support their lifestyles.

Packaging for the new menu items is made from plant-based material which have received OK Compost HOME and INDUSTRIAL certifications, two widely recognized international standards. Products also feature a sleeve made from recycled from milk cartons which opens to form a meal mat, reducing the need for cleaning up. A handle is integrated into the packaging design to remove any need for secondary packaging.

On the beverages side, Starbucks is introducing oat milk to the core beverage menu in all stores across China with Oatly. Customers at all Starbucks stores across the Chinese mainland may now customise their favourite Starbucks beverages with oat milk. The smooth and mellow texture of oat milk pairs perfectly with the Starbucks signature espresso, accentuating its full-bodied taste and velvety microfoam.

In addition to the new customisation choices, Starbucks has created oat milk versions of two signature Starbucks beverages, as well as a special limited time offer beverage. Available in all Starbucks stores across the Chinese mainland from 22 April, the new beverages include:

• Oatmilk Latte: A classic handcrafted beverage reimagined with Starbucks intense signature espresso and velvety smooth steamed oat milk.
• Oatmilk Matcha Latte: Featuring aromatic green notes of matcha, Starbucks signature tea beverage creates a unique yet familiar pairing with the smooth, mellow taste of oat milk, providing a balanced lingering sweetness.
• Berries Oatmilk Black Tea Macchiato: Available for a limited time, this seasonal beverage infuses a black tea macchiato with a fruity medley of berry flavour notes.

Starbucks has offered soymilk in China since 2007, and the introduction of oat milk provides customers another unique way to customise their Starbucks Experience.

“It’s a significant step for the growing plant-based movement that Starbucks customers in China can now enjoy their favourite beverage with Oatly,” said Toni Petersson, global CEO of Oatly, the original oat milk brand from Sweden. “Oatly pairs extremely well with espresso and creates a wonderfully dense and creamy foam for lattes.”

Starbucks has also launched a line of stylish and creative merchandise that can be woven into customers’ everyday lifestyles. This includes tumblers and notebooks that are made with recycled coffee grounds collected from Starbucks stores. The coffee grounds are processed and mixed with polypropene to form an industrial grade material with over 30% recycled coffee ground content, which can potentially be used to manufacture a variety of lifestyle items. To further bring this new approach to sustainability to life in Starbucks cafes, furniture made from this material will be rolled out into stores soon.

The new platform marks the latest chapter in Starbucks sustainability commitment announced earlier this year. As part of this commitment, the company plans to build a Coffee Innovation Park in China by 2022, which aims to become the most energy, water and waste efficient roasting operations for Starbucks around the world.

Last year, Starbucks also eliminated plastic straws from all its stores in the Chinese mainland, saving about 200 tons of plastic waste annually. It is now accelerating the rollout of new waste sorting stations and will complete installation in over 80% of its stores by the end of September 2020.

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In 2020, the group will start purchasing equipment for converting flexible plastics, recovered from sorting facilities and other commercial, industrial and agricultural sources, into recycled plastic granules. It will also be on the lookout for potential acquisitions of companies within this sector.

“The creation of the Recycling Group aims to vertically integrate the recycling of plastics in our packaging production chain in Canada, the United States and Latin America, ultimately ensuring stable procurement of this material for us,” said François Olivier, president and chief executive officer of TC Transcontinental.

“This decision stems from our desire and that of many customers to differentiate ourselves with an offering of eco-responsible packaging products containing recycled plastic, accelerate its development, and create a truly circular economy for plastic that will bring further benefits for the environment and for communities.”

The establishment of the Recycling Group will contribute to the achievement of TC Transcontinental’s objectives as a signatory of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy Global Commitment. One of the corporation’s objectives is to increase post-consumer recycled content across its portfolio of flexible plastic packaging products. The purchase of recovered plastics will better enable their value recovery and facilitate the creation of local outlets for sorting facilities and companies in the commercial, industrial and agricultural sectors.

The team will be led by Sylvain Levert, as senior vice president, Recycling Group, reporting to Thomas Morin, president of TC Transcontinental Packaging.

Levert was previously SVP, Procurement at TC Transcontinental. He will be supported by Mathieu Séguin, as general manager and by Fabrice Laberge, as director, Research and Development, Recycling Technology.

Séguin has strong experience in management and business development in the plastic recycling industry, while Laberge, with a PhD in chemistry, has worked in project management and research and development in the industrial sector in Canada, the United States and Europe.

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While waiting for my coffee (I believe I ordered a cup of the Tesora with notes of caramel, nuts and butter) to be prepared, I noticed a couple of shelves holding ceramic mugs near the checkout counter. I thought they were were retail items but upon closer inspection, I realized that rather than an assortment of souvenir mugs sporting the Philz Coffee logo, the “Mug Wall” was filled with customers’ personal mugs.

A clever approach to enhance sustainability within its coffeehouse, Philz invites customers to bring in their own mugs. If they use their own mugs, customers are charged the price of a small coffee (around USD $3.60 depending on the blend). When they finish drinking their coffee, customers may leave their mugs in the dish return bin, after which Philz employees will wash the mugs and place them on the shelf. So, every time the customer returns to Philz Coffee, their clean mug is waiting for them.

If a customer wants to dine in and drink out of a mug but has not yet brought their own, they may ask a barista to borrow a community mug.

I’ve never seen this type of program in a coffeehouse before, so I do not know if Philz Coffee is the first to employ this tactic, but I find it an inventive way to encourage recyclability and reusability on-premise. While I doubt this initiative would work in coffeehouses located in cities with large populations and heavy foot traffic, in a college town like Davis (the university is also one of the top agronomy schools in the world) that is filled with sustainability-oriented Gen Z students, it seems like an ideal plan.

• Vanessa L. Facenda, editor Tea & Coffee Trade Journal. She may be contacted via vanessa@bellpublishing.com.

Image courtesy of Vanessa L. Facenda

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