Fast Breakdown of Bio-Degradable Coffee Bags Confirmed
Convex Plastics, June 28th, 2010
The remains of three composting coffee bags after 14 weeks, compared to one complete bag. The photo clearly shows that breakdown is quite well advanced.
The bio-degradable coffee bags almost completely disappeared just fourteen weeks after composting, with only small fragments remaining.
The trial commenced in early February and was carried out in a Waikato bark composting facility. The bags were dug out of the compost windrow and inspected every two weeks and their breakdown rate was recorded.
Convex Technical Manager Andrew Sheerin says the bags had started to soften after just two weeks and had almost completely broken down in just over three months.
Andrew says, “The fortnightly checks of the composted bags clearly showed that micro-organism attack and biodegradation was occurring at a fairly rapid rate. Film strength recordings were weaker each check and visual recordings showed the bags breaking down into smaller and smaller fragments as the trial progressed.”
The bags are believed to be the world’s first fully renewable compostable coffee bags for both cold and hot roasted coffee and have been specifically developed by Convex Plastics to provide the ideal sealing and barrier properties for coffee and dry foods. They are available both with and without vents, making them ideal for both cold and hot roasted coffee.
Andrew says, “We were always confident that the renewable materials we use to make these bags would break down well in a typical composting environment and we are pleased to have been able to verify that.”
The coffee bags are made from three separate bio-degradable films to provide a high level of functionality for almost the same cost as conventional plastic packs.
Two NatureFlex™ biodegradable cellulose films have been laminated together to produce high barriers to oxygen and moisture ingress and a Greensack biodegradable cornstarch sealant layer on the inside of each bag provides good sealing properties through and around dry granular products. All three films have been internationally certified to EN13432 for composting and biodegradability.
An innovative vent strip has also been developed by Convex Plastics to allow the CO2 gases given off by hot roasted coffee beans to be vented through the top and bottom bag seals. This optional vent replaces the traditional non-renewable one-way valve button, and is activated by positive pressure inside the bag.
Andrew says the new biodegradable coffee bags offer equivalent barrier properties and shelf appeal to those made from fossil fuels and provide huge market advantages for companies catering to the growing number of eco-conscious consumers.
The initial market response to this packaging has been very positive and it is now being expanded to other dry products in the Australasian region.
If you are interested in trialing the new coffee packs please contact Andrew Sheerin at Convex Plastics on: 07 958 1770, Mob. 021 190 3898 or andrew.s@convex.co.nz