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In recent years, individuals have become more aware of the benefits of using biodegradable and compostable packaging bags, which has increased the popularity of these bags in daily life. Many industries, especially the coffee industry, are beginning to choose to use biodegradable packaging bags. Additionally, there has been a significant increase in the number of customers ordering biodegradable bags from us. Today, we will examine the benefits of biodegradable and compostable bags, which materials are suitable for these bags, the combination of materials used in producing these bags, and the process and timeframe for the degradation of these bags.
1. The earth can’t afford more plastic waste. The reduction of plastic waste is a great first step to help protect the global environment and maintain sustainable development goals.
Plastic waste has many disadvantages to our living environment. Recycling can be an extremely a problematic process. For example, when plastic waste is dealt with through incineration, high amounts of toxic waste is produced through the burning process, which threatens the earth’s natural organisms. Burying plastic waste is a negative alternative as it can take up to thousands of years for the plastic to degrade into the earth and emits toxic substances into the earth. The discarding of plastic into the ocean creates marine debris that can endanger marine life and damage the ocean’s biodiversity. To date, many countries have addressed the issue of plastic waste through creating policies that encourage, and even legally require, the use of compostable packaging on both the corporate and individual scale.
2. In addition to policy requirements, many individuals, especially youth, are taking the initiative to choose biodegradable packaging. This is likely due to an increased awareness on its benefits to protecting the environment. According to a survey, 65% of young people in Europe will specifically seek out biodegradable packaging while buying their coffee, and those aged 18-30 years old are more willing to pay a premium for biodegradable coffee bags.
The consumer’s desires are being strongly considered by coffee roasters, who are in turn opting for customized coffee packaging made of compostable materials at an increasing rate. On one hand, the use biodegradable coffee packaging meets the wants of the consumer and elevates the roaster’s branding. On the other hand, biodegradable packaging contributes to the reduction of plastic waste, helping the environment in a meaningful way. Biodegradable packaging is a win-win situation for all.
Before introducing the specific materials in this environmentally friendly packaging, let’s look at some of the facts regarding compostable and biodegradable materials. The biodegradable materials we are referring to can be divided into two categories: bio-based and petroleum based. These materials will completely degrade into the natural elements within a short time frame, and without causing harm to the environment.
Next, we will be introduced to the materials commonly used in custom coffee packaging.
PLA is a relatively inexpensive and commonly used biodegradable material. PLA is a milky white color and is made from raw starch materials made from renewable plant resources, such as corn. It is very biodegradable as microorganisms in nature degrade PLA quite easily. PLA generates carbon dioxide and water, which are then absorbed by plants, and will not be discharged into the air meaning no greenhouse effect is created. This is incredibly beneficial to the protection of the environment and is recognized as an environmentally friendly material.
The thermal stability, and mechanical and physical properties of PLA are very good. Similar to petrochemical synthetic plastics, PLA can replace traditional PE as the inner layer material of packaging bags. PLA is also the only biodegradable plastic with excellent antibacterial and antifungal properties, which is very important for the inner material of packaging, as it comes into the most contact with food. In addition, PLA has the same printing properties as conventional films. You can also choose to use PLA as a printing later for coffee bags. Finally, PLA is the most popular biodegradable material in terms of price and performance.
The source of synthetic raw materials can be either petroleum resources or the fermentation of biological resources. PBS is a leader in biodegradable plastic materials. Like PLA, it is another preferred compostable material to replace PE. It has excellent heat resistance and strength and degrades faster than PLA. The material of the inner layer can be used simultaneously as a coffee packaging bag and printing layer. For small to medium sized roasters, the largest disadvantage of PBS is the high MOQ.
NKME is the best insulating material among those that are biodegradable. A metallic luster, NKME is often used as the insulating layer in coffee packaging bags. This can effectively prevent the entry of water vapor and air, ensuring the highest quality of coffee beans.
Kraft paper is the traditional material used for making packaging bags. This being said, we will not go in depth about Kraft paper’s characteristics. However, in biodegradable packaging bags, some customers will choose to directly use Kraft paper as the outermost layer- the printing layer. The only downside to this is that no more than four colors can be realized, making the designs exclusively four-colored.
Now that we have gone over the commonly used materials for the production of biodegradable coffee bags, we will now analyze the types of material combinations suitable for coffee bean packaging, and how to choose the best ones.
Based on our experience, we have determined the following combinations of packaging bags:
This is the smallest and cheapest custom biodegradable coffee packaging bag. With an MOQ5000, this combination it has poor barrier properties. It also requires coffee beans to be consumed within a short time frame. It is suggested that the choice to use this combination is based on the end market situation of your product. If a faster degradation rate is required, PBS is preferred over PLA. However, the MOQ is much higher. It should be noted once again that if the Kraft paper is used as a printing layer, four colors can be printed at most.
NKME has extremely high barrier properties. There are no stringent requirements for the end market time frame. A combination of PLA and NKME, PBS and NKME, or PLA and NKME and Kraft paper can be used. We highly recommend that NKME is used as the insulating layer within coffee bags. As both producers of coffee packaging and consumers of the beverage, we understand the importance of high quality-kept beans in order to produce high quality tasting coffee. In order to protect the beans, we recommend NKME. The MOQ is very low if the PLA and NKME and Kraft paper combination is chosen.
As a final note, the air valve and zipper on coffee bags are now made of biodegradable materials as well. For any questions or inquiries, please contact our manager at https://ecocoffeebag.com/contact/.
First, let’s look at the degradation time of coffee packaging bags. According to data collected from our laboratory, the degradation time of a single biodegradable material is on average within 180 days to full degradation. However, the composting process is affected by numerous external factors such as temperature, humidity, and the handling of the compost. Yet, biodegradable coffee bags will degrade in a very short time without harming the environment.
Secondly, the composting method. Currently, the main processing methods are divided into two types: household composting and industrial composting. Both treatments are carried out in special conditions, where microorganisms decompose the packaging bags. Biodegradable coffee bags require manual intervention to decompose within the expected timeframe. If simply thrown into the trash, these materials will eventually decompose, however it is more harmful to the environment.
To summarize, we have gone over facts about customized biodegradable coffee packaging bags. If you still have questions about how to customize biodegradable coffee bags or how to choose the right combinations of materials, we are willing to discuss these processes with you. Please feel free to contact us regarding questions, or with any other ideas and suggestions.
We hope to work with you to do meaningful things for our planet and the coffee industry.
We look forward to helping you create the perfect bag for your product!