Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/491350
58 STiR tea & coffee industry international Pacific Bag has also garnered attention for materials by winning the Specialty Coffee Association of America's most innovative product award for its Biotrē™ film. Composed of 60% biodegradable materials, it offers a craft paper look but provides the barrier features required for packaging. A new version of Biotrē™ is in development currently that will improve sustainability further. Other alternatives which may see increased use in traditional plastics are new oxo-biodegradable additives. EPI Environmental Technologies' Totally Degradable Plastic Additives® are added to resins and can in- crease the speed of degradation of the plastic when it is exposed to ultra- violet light and high temperatures. Coffee capsules When aluminum and plastic capsules hit the market, they changed the conversation about what instant coffee could be. Last year consumers purchased 14 billion capsules, a number expected to double in three years. Over the past decade roasters have been racing to keep up with growth, slowly adding tea to their coffee lines, but not changing much in the actual technology. The original capsules were made of polystyrene which creates problems with recyclability. However, as with all coffee packaging, there is a segment of the market who wants to see something more environmentally friendly. Once the patents expired, the race was on. In 2013, Printpack introduced a new alternative, a polypropylene capsule. According to Dave Foster, global business development manager at Printpack, the polypropylene capsules are easier to recycle, create 30% less greenhouse gases, and have superior moisture and oxygen barrier compared to polystyrene. The biggest challenge is that polypropylene isn't readily punctured, a critical requirement for capsules. Printpack has over- come this obstacle and has created a product that is far more sustainable, with no cost penalty. "We are seeing a tremendous amount of interest," says Foster. "Had the puncturability problem (of polypropylene) been solved ten years ago, we wouldn't be talking about polystyrene at all." Developing premium coffee packaging is no easy task. The coffee needs to be able to stay on the shelf for 12 to 24 months, protecting the beans from light, moisture and oxygen, while also being attractive enough to encourage consumers to buy. Over the next decade, the movement toward sustainable packaging will continue and costs will remain a major hurdle to adoption. Stumptown Coffee Cuvee Coffee Gorilla Coffee SmallWorldCoffee Nature's Coffee Kettle pouch.