BASF ecovio gets first production application

BASF’s compostable plastic ecovio has found its first production application in a system for coffee packaging.

Since the end of 2012, the Swiss Coffee Company has been offering coffee in compostable plastic capsules in an aroma-type barrier packaging, together with coffee machines, in Switzerland under the brand name beanarella.

The goal of the Swiss Coffee Company is to market high-quality coffee that satisfies the demanding criteria from both a social and environmental standpoint when it comes to production. The packaging was expected to satisfy similar criteria.

Working together with the Swiss Coffee Company, BASF has succeeded in developing a system that consists of a coffee capsule and an aroma-tight outer packaging. It fulfills the requirements for protecting the product and brewing coffee in high-pressure coffee machines, yet may still be composted.

To date, the primary fields of application for ecovio have been bags for collecting biodegradable waste and mulch film, which helps to cultivate fruit and vegetables in fields.

Global distribution

The company is initially marketing its coffee in Switzerland through two channels: the company Leomat AG, the largest provider of office furnishings in eastern Switzerland, which supplies the complete beanarella system to its customers and also collects the waste. Private customers will soon be able to order over the internet and have the product shipped to them. In this case, the Swiss Coffee Company will arrange for return of the used capsules and packaging together with the respective provider of the product.

As the next step, the company plans to introduce its product and concept in Germany, Austria and the US. Each launch on the market will focus on a sound disposal concept for creating value from the promise of biodegradability. BASF will assist in this regard. Disposal of food packaging made from certified compostable plastic in organic waste containers is not yet permitted throughout Germany.

With this product concept, the Swiss Coffee Company offers an alternative for consumers who wish to combine “high standards for enjoyment and quality of life with a lifestyle that is as healthy and sustainable as possible”. In Western societies, this specific target group accounts for 10 percent of the population. In Germany alone, studies indicate a potential of five million households.

Ecovio IS1335

This project also sees the first application for the injection molding grade-ecovio IS1335.

The material is being used in combination with an ecovio-based multi-layer system with specific barrier properties.

With the new product grade ecovio IS1335, which is especially suitable for injection molding, and with new ecovio-based solutions for multi-layer film with a barrier properties, BASF has expanded its compostable plastic product line further.

These product variants helped the new Switzerland-based Swiss Coffee Company develop a high-volume product that can contribute to sustainability in many ways while simultaneously addressing the latest trend in coffee drinking.

BASF said packaging, such as coffee capsules, that contains small portions of completely organic waste and where the organic waste cannot be collected separately from the packaging material lends itself ideally to composting as the correct means of disposal instead of incineration or recycling. Moreover, coffee is a favorite among composters, since it represents a good material for loosening the structure of the compost.

The potential for biodegradable packaging in the at-home coffee market is covered in the next issue of Packprint World

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