In 2021, packaging specialist Alpla introduced its Blue Circle brand - an umbrella label under which the company could bundle the various biodegradable packaging developments it was working on. The first Blue Circle product launched by the company was an injection-moulded home-compostable coffee capsule.
Now, two years later, Alpla is rolling out a new generation of biodegradable coffee capsules for the Blue Circle brand. Produced from an unspecified new organic material derived from a source posing no threat to food or feed production, the capsules are designed to be recyclable, biodegradable and to offer improved barrier properties. The certified system consists of a capsule and a sealing foil, minimising the effects on the capsule contents and the migration of coffee aroma to the environment.
‘Around the world, consumer behaviour is becoming more and more sustainable,” said Nicolas Lehner, CCO at ALPLA. “We …are developing the packaging solutions of the future. With the biodegradable coffee capsule, we are not only helping our customers achieve their sustainability targets, but are also acting in line with the new EU Packaging Regulation,” he added, referring to the recent EU proposal that would make compostable packaging mandatory for tea bags, coffee pods, very light plastic bags and sticky labels for fruit and vegetables.
The capsules are injection-moulded at the company’s own facilities.
"The combination of the material, design and production process is key to the capsules’ stability, leak tightness and barrier. Our technological expertise and experience result in the optimum solution for unadulterated enjoyment," said Lehner.
The entire system, including sealing foil and contents, has been ‘OK compost HOME’ and ‘OK compost INDUSTRIAL’ certified by TÜV Austria. The Blue Circle coffee capsules can therefore be disposed of via home compost or in the organic waste bin.