Get into the degradable bag!

From the beginning it has been at our core to use an ethical way of packing our coffee.

Our first itteration packing

When we started we cleaned and reused old sweet jars from a friends shop and filled these with our coffees, with the view that they could be reused or go on to be recycled. This quickly became unsustainable and so we had to find other methods that would be more sustainable and still support our ethical principle.

The only answer we could find at the time were to use bags and so the question we then had to ask ourselves was `if it had to be bags, how would bags be ethical?’ The answer being that the bags we used would along with the coffee need to leave no trace. The ideal being that the bags be home compostable, thereby making it easier for our customers with both the coffee and bag going back to the earth and not causing any harm.

We started to research and found that, at this particular time, a great deal of the available bags were expensive and non-recyclable and non-degradable. Therein lay the challenge - to find a bag that was both cost effective and completely compostable.

On this journey we would find that not all degradable packing is created equal. There were many things that had to be considered such as how well the bags would maintain the quality of the coffee, whether they would qualify as being commercially or home degradable and even, are there any ethical issues with regards to the production of the materials.  

Detpak Rebbit compostable

As time has passed we have seen many changes to the degradable packing landscape, how technology has shaped the quality from developing bags that are more resilient with a higher barrier to the addition of degradable valves and making them a more cost effective choice and all of these things will be touched upon below.

Detpak: Rebbit Compostable
Rebbit bags were the first bag we used for packing our coffees. They were cost effective, compostable with a low barrier, made from kraft paper with a starch based plastic lining and are mainly used for bakery goods etc.

Although they went some way to offering a solution they were not made for our purpose and the low barrier meant that we couldn’t offer the same kind of shelf life dates that non-degradable bags could.  Over time these bags also became quite difficult to source which, in addition with the short of shelf life, led us to the next bag we used.

Enviropack Biodegradable

Enviopack: (Biodegradable)
At this point better degradable packaging options started to become more widely available.

Enviopack provided higher barrier thus allowing us to have a longer shelf life. Although these bags were not Compostable they were at least Biodegradable so they still fit in with our principles, however, we quickly noticed that these bags had a downside. Because of the higher barrier they sealed really well which in itself is a good thing, but, once coffee is roasted it degasses and naturally releases CO2 which made them balloon. The problem of ballooning led to a significant problem in that sometimes the degassing was so bad the pressure would cause them to pop thus ruining the stock. 

Obviously, this meant that these were no longer an option for us and, in any event, Enviopack bags are now Compostable and so the Biodegradable bags are no longer available.

Enviopack: Compostable
We do currently use Enviopack’s 70g compostable bags as the effect of degassing in smaller bags is lessened. The compostable bags are made using kraft paper and have a starch based plastic lining.
https://www.enviropack.org.uk/compostable-products/bags-pouches/compostable-stand-up-pouches/70g-compostable-stand-up-pouches-with-zip-lock

Tekpak Omnigradable

Tekpak: Omnigradable
After the problems with the previous bags we needed to look at our packing again. It was at this time we started using Tekpak as their bags are completely degradable and they have valves which allows the coffee to degas in the bag without them popping.

What also attracted us to Tekpak is that as a Company they hold a similar principle to us about packing in that it should not cause harm to the environment when it has come to the end of its life, so they developed a product they call Omnigradable.

Unlike the previous bags which were made using starch based plastics, the Omnigradable bags use a liner made using traditional plastics, however, they impregnate the plastic with additives which encourages microbes to break down the plastic. Although it didn’t feel quite right to be using something that used a traditional based plastic, at least the technology being used ensured that the bags would degrade without causing harm to the environment. Although the bags perform ethically, we find that they are not resilient enough to puncturing and availability tended to be inconsistent.
https://tekpaksolutions.com/tekpak-solutions-the-omnidegradable-solution/

The Bag Broker: True bio
With degradable options being more freely available, we found the True bio bags and so far perform the best in regards to what we had originally set out to achieve.  

These bags are home compostable, that is, can be put into your compost and they will break down, as opposed to many that are still only able to be composted commercially.

They have a high barrier of protection to give the longer shelf life needed for retailers, they have a compostable valve to let any CO2 escape and prevent ballooning and, from experience, we know the material is quite resilient to abuse (not that we intended to give it a try)

Storm damaged

The bags are made using Kraft paper for the outer skin and uses a material called NKME by Natureflex as a liner which uses a laminate of starch based plastics and a thin aluminium layer. We were initially concerned by the use of aluminium but it has been proven to be safe for composting by the Austrian TUV.
https://www.thebagbroker.co.uk/product/250g-side-gusset-bag/?attribute_pa_color=natural-brown&attribute_pa_material=true-bio&attribute_pa_valve=with-valve
http://www.futamuragroup.com/en/divisions/cellulose-films/products/natureflex/metallised/

In addition to all that has been said so far we would also like to acknowledge that along the way we also looked into the possibility of moving from degradable to recyclable bags. The outcome being that we decided to stay with degradable because recyclable plastics are not recyclable across the UK as it is dependent upon where you live and the rules applicable.

We hope you’ve enjoyed reading about our journey in the everchanging landscape of ethical packing so far but rest assured that, even though we have found bags that meet our standards, we will continually look for better and more ethical solutions.