Brewing a greener cup

Starting the day with freshly brewed coffee is a cherished ritual for many. Globally a beloved household staple, the coffee market is set to grow from USD 132.13 billion in 2024 to USD 166.39 billion by 2029, with a CAGR of 4.72 percent, according to Mordor Intelligence. New coffee brands are emerging to capture a share of this market. 

Steve Halford, product development technologist at Parkside, a global flexible packaging producer, says: ‘Roast and ground products and beans are benefiting from the continuing “Starbucks effect” – the move towards consumption of coffee shop-style coffees in the home. This has remained strong even after the Covid lockdowns were over, with further growth seen in start-up, independent and regional roasters each carving their niche.’ 

Besides creating a unique product, brands must address sustainability in packaging to appeal to environmentally-conscious consumers. 

The desire for sustainability in coffee extends from longstanding, established mainstream brands to smaller, often premium brands – including start-ups. 

What these brands all have in common is the desire for their packaging to be a crucial part of their sustainability goals. 

In particular, Halford adds that smaller brands have been leading the way in sustainable packaging for several years, with more prominent brands generally playing catch up and some household name brands making relatively recent moves. 

Across categories, roast and ground coffee bean brands were the first to make the switch to sustainable packaging, while the larger volume instant coffee sector was slower to move. 

For many coffee brands, the move toward sustainable packaging is two-fold these brands can replace their traditional weighty glass jars with refill pouches and pouches are the clear transport winner over rigid packaging. The lightweight packs offer significant efficiencies throughout the supply chain, as the flexible pouches mean more packs can be shipped in each container, and their lighter weight significantly reduces supply chain transport emissions. 

‘Key brands such as Kenco, Nescafe, and L’Or all now have pouches available in the hot beverage aisle at supermarkets.’ Halford notes. However, flexible packaging, with its multiple layers, is not recyclable, and those multiple layers are crucial for keeping coffee fresh. 

Barrier for freshness 

Coffee brands must carefully select their sustainable packaging that can preserve the rich, delicious flavor of coffee, or they risk losing their loyal customers. 

Exposure to oxygen is the main culprit behind stale coffee. Historically, a high-barrier, multi-layer PET/ALU/ PE would be the default option to provide barrier protection, but it is not a sustainable option. 

Paper is generally more desirable due to its recyclability, but the roast and ground coffee segment faces challenges. The oils in the beans require barrier functionality and the CO2 they release post-roasting means pouches need a one-way valve to let gas out without letting oxygen in. Structural features such as reclosure zippers and adhesives help maintain coffee quality but add plastic or foil, complicating recycling. 

Therefore, paper has not been an ideal alternative without some level of plastic or foil for the necessary barrier. 

There are ways of tackling this issue – often involving material innovations such as water-based barrier coatings and monolayer packaging. 

Coffee is probably one of the most progressive CPG sectors when it comes to sustainable packaging and broader ESG policies

‘The development of high-performance barrier coatings represents a significant moment for the industry. Kraft paper laminated with PE or foil grants the required barrier performance for packaging roast and ground coffee but not the desired recyclability. Development of paper substrates and barrier coatings will enable brands to begin switching to a more sustainable, recyclable packaging model,’ 

Halford explains. Parkside is resolving this issue with a new recyclable metalized packaging, made entirely of paper. Its Recoflex monopolymer material is designed to make plastic more sustainable. Because it is made from a single polymer, it is technically recyclable. However, its full benefits would be hard to achieve without investments in suitable recycling infrastructure. 

‘For example, Nescafe initially moved to monopolymer refi ll pouches, reportedly the first recyclable coffee pouches on the market compatible with front-of-store recycling schemes. This move has enabled Nescafe to highlight its sustainability credentials in an immediately visible way. The company has since moved on to fully recyclable paper packaging,’ Halford shares. 

Harry Baker, sales and operations, BakPac also notes that coffee packaging buyers ask for compostable paper constructions. The challenge has been finding the high barrier properties coffee requires to maintain the freshness of the product and extend its shelf life. 

‘The tactile feel was popular in the coffee market, which led to a demand for compostable structures,’ Baker notes. ‘However, the demand is now moving away from compostable structures as the view on multi-laminate structures is changing. Brands are moving towards mono-material structures as they’re seen as a more sustainable decision when looking at the supply chain holistically.’ 

BakPac has developed a mono-polymer range that claims to offer comparable barrier properties. 

BakPac helped a coffee brand that was previously using a tin with an inner bag switch to a high-barrier, mono-material stand-up pouch with a coffee valve. 

‘This allowed the brand to avoid sourcing its packaging from multiple suppliers. They can also utilize the full surface area of a stand-up pouch for branding instead of being restricted by the size of the label,’ Baker explains. 

Another challenge Baker notes is the coffee industry’s preference for the flat bottom pouch format that BakPac currently does not offer. In response, the converter purchased a flat bottom pouching line from Indian manufacturer Galaxy Packtech that will be installed later this year. ‘Come January 2025, we will be the first UK producer of flat bottom, digitally printed pouches,’ Baker highlights. 

Compostable packaging 

Single-cup coffee and espresso brew systems are incredibly popular for their simplicity and convenience. Coffee pods are often made from recyclable plastic but throwing them in curbside recycling can contaminate the waste stream. To recycle a pod fully, consumers must remove the lid, grounds, and filter, rinse the pod, and then recycle it. Compostable pods exist, but the lids often prevent full compostability, and the lid is crucial for controlling heat, steam, pressure and water during brewing. 

The challenge is to find a material that can withstand the brewing process and break down in compost conditions, which involves high heat, pressure and moisture. 

After two years of development, S-One Labels Packaging’s R&D team created a compostable, bio-based lid that meets ASTM D6400 standards and is awaiting third-party certification. S-OneLP worked with Stella Brands, a Las Vegas-based contract packager for the coffee pods market. The material is a printable paper-based prelaminated structure with a sealant web. 

Come January 2025, we will be the first UK producer of flat bottom, digitally printed pouches

Greiner Packaging and Constantia Flexibles have also developed a fully home-compostable coffee capsule. In this collaboration, Greiner Packaging supplies the body of the capsule, while Constantia Flexibles provides the lid – EcoPressoLid. 

The capsule body, developed by Greiner Packaging, preserves the freshness of the coffee and is compatible with conventional coffee capsule machines. This packaging offers consumers a more sustainable option without compromising on quality or convenience and supports a circular economy by reducing waste and minimizing environmental impact. 

Constantia Flexibles’ capsule lidding, EcoPressoLid, offers a high oxygen barrier, sealing for compostable coffee capsules, and quality coffee brewing performance. It is compatible with commonly used capsule filling and sealing machines on the market. 

The EcoPressoLid is paper-based and can be used to seal both the top and bottom of the capsules. The capsule body and lid received the ‘OK Compost Home’ certification from TÜV Austria together as a system. 

Similarly, Parkside has achieved long-term success using compostable materials for roast and ground coffee applications. 

‘Coffee seems to fit well with compostable material, as the grounds themselves can also be composted along with the packaging, including zips and valves, helping brands to offer a truly circular product to their consumers. This approach helped one of our clients on their journey to achieving B-Corp status,’ Halford says. 

Halford mentions that this brand has developed a closed-loop composting system, collecting packaging waste from customers and composting it at its roastery. The resulting compost is used in its coffee shop gardens, which also serve as a space for local food service businesses to grow fresh produce. 

‘Every job we take on is a collaboration where we grow to understand our customers’ exact needs before applying our design expertise and technology to respond to them. Some projects involve more development, while others use existing technology and materials. We are currently developing new paper, coatings and integral valves for coffee pouches,’ Halford says. 

Nescafe used the first recyclable coffee pouches on the market compatible with front-of-store recycling schemes

He adds that as films become more mainstream, economies of scale bring costs down until sustainability becomes the norm, helped by key brands in the category making large steps toward sustainable packaging. 

‘Coffee is probably one of the most progressive CPG sectors when it comes to sustainable packaging and broader ESG policies,’ Halford adds. 

Similarly, converters such as BakPac prefer to form relationships and make collaborative efforts with brands rather than be a simple me-too supplier. 

‘We want to open our customers’ minds to what is achievable using our print technology. The coffee market, in particular, likes to push design boundaries as far as possible and often offers many product variations and blends, which work perfectly with digital. It also allows larger brands to dip their toes with a new idea and test the market rather than commit to a larger MOQ,’ Baker adds. 

Brands leading the way 

New-age brands such as Pact Coffee and Café Buendía are shifting to sustainable packaging to attract eco-conscious consumers and contribute to a more sustainable future, setting a positive example for the industry. 

Pact Coffee 

UK-based coffee brand Pact Coffee has already switched to sustainable pouches for its packaging. 

Will Sowerby, communications and content lead at Pact Coffee, says: ‘Our core mission has been to make the coffee industry better for the farmer since the beginning, and we wanted to improve our practices at home, too.’ 

It took Pact Coffee two years to develop its new sustainable packaging.  

‘Freshness has been absolutely key to Pact Coffee since we began over a decade ago, and the challenge was maintaining this with recyclable packaging,’  Sowerby explains. 

‘Sacrificing any quality that comes with coffee freshness would have been a significant mistake that would have disappointed many of our loyal customers. But we knew that continuing to use landfill-bound packaging was unacceptable.’ 

More widely used sustainable packaging, like paper, would have allowed in too much oxygen, so we needed to get creative

Oxygen quickly kills off the flavor and aroma of coffee, whether pre-ground or whole beans. Pact Coffee had to find a way to create the most sustainable packaging possible while also keeping oxygen at bay. 

‘More widely used sustainable packaging, like paper, would have allowed in too much oxygen, so we needed to get creative. After plenty of trials and errors, we found the answer in LDPE #4.’ 

Pact Coffee’s bags are made from 70 percent recycled plastic, with the remaining 30 percent virgin plastic that the brand needs to use to keep its coffee food-safe and preserve freshness. The bag is then recyclable. 

Specifically, it is made from LDPE #4 (a low-density polyethylene). The number ‘4’ signals its density, with LDPE #1 being the densest. The brand reduced this number as much as possible to reduce its usage. 

‘For us, it is about being better today than yesterday – so this was a significant breakthrough,’ Sowerby says.  

Compared to the brand’s previous packaging, it shows a 58 percent reduction in carbon, a 70 percent reduction in virgin fossil fuels, a 20 percent reduction in materials, and a 70 percent usage of recycled materials – promoting a circular economy. 

In addition to choosing sustainable, flexible packaging, the brand is actively educating customers about its recyclability and the post-consumer handling process. 

Each bag features a QR code that customers can scan to go to a page that tells them how to recycle it. Pact Coffee also releases a yearly impact report that contains information on the packaging and its social impact. 

The carbon footprint of these bags is offset by SeaTrees. This project protects and regenerates coastal ecosystems by planting and restoring aquatic plants. 

‘These plants, like mangroves, kelp and coral, can be up to 10 times more effective than rainforests at removing carbon from the air. These bags also fund this project, which stops plastic bottles from entering our oceans,’ Sowerby notes. 

‘For every kilogram of packaging we purchase, this initiative saves the equivalent of two plastic bottles from rivers in Asia. If they weren’t to be recovered and recycled by this initiative, they’d end up in the ocean.’ 

This initiative has collected over 20 thousand plastic bottles from rivers and recycled them. 

Café Buendía 

Columbian coffee brand Café Buendía presented during Label Summit Latin America in Columbia how it has adopted sustainable packaging that aligns with its brand values and meets the growing consumer demand for products packed in eco-friendly packaging. In partnership with Dow and Alico, the brand’s material and packaging suppliers, Café Buendía developed a mono-material packaging. 

As noted earlier, packaging for high-barrier products such as coffee, cocoa and milk powder traditionally required metalized structures to maintain freshness and quality. These structures, however, posed significant challenges in terms of recyclability. Café Buendía needed packaging that could offer the necessary barrier properties while being environmentally friendly and recyclable. 

Café Buendía chose Alico’s Reciplus Alico mono-material structure, which preserves coffee’s taste, aroma characteristics and shelf life. The mono-material structure utilizes high-performance polyethylene resins. This packaging is claimed to maintain the functionality of traditional laminated packaging while enabling closed-loop recycling. It offers a high barrier against moisture, oxygen and light. This innovative structure has been recognized with two awards at the Dow Chemical Awards for its easy recyclability. 

According to Alico, Reciplus is also resistant to tears and punctures, ensuring the product remains intact during transit and storage. Additionally, it requires a lower sealing temperature, reducing overall energy consumption, and is lighter than rigid packaging. 

By using Reciplus, Café Buendía successfully introduced what it claims is the world’s first freeze-dried coffee in 100 percent recyclable packaging. This move has boosted the brand’s reputation and demonstrated its commitment to sustainability. 

HP India Sales signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Atal Incubation Centre of Coffee Board (AIC CCRI CED) on May 22, 2024, in a significant move to foster innovation and growth among startups. Under this collaboration, HP will offer comprehensive support to these startups, including insights into industry trends, best practices and the latest advancements in printing and packaging technologies. The MoU was formally signed by Praveen HJ, CEO of AIC-CCRI-CED, Coffee Board, and Appadurai, country manager of Indigo and inkjet solutions at HP India.

The signing ceremony was attended by Naipal Singh, business development manager at HP India sales, along with members of the AIC-CCRI-CED team.

HP Indigo will set up an experience zone at the Coffee Board’s incubation center to showcase a gallery of applications possible using HP Indigo presses, displaying various packaging formats for startup brands. With 300 Indigo press installations across India, 15-20 percent of which are with label and packaging providers, HP Indigo aims to help startups connect with these users. This initiative will enable startups to prototype, test, proof, and place their orders with established HP Indigo customers.