Under the new packaging regulations proposed by the European commission, all single-serve coffee units will become mandatorily compostable. In anticipation of the new rules, PHA manufacturer Danimer Scientific, Inc. and PLA producer TotalEnergies Corbion have developed a new compostable biopolymer specifically designed for coffee pods. The new biopolymer is in compliance with proposed EU packaging regulations.
Next to coffee pods, the new compostability requirement will apply to tea bags, very light plastic bags and to the sticky labels used for fruit and vegetables. The new formulations developed by Danimer and TotalEnergies Corbion are a blend of Danimer’s Nodax PHA and TotalEnergies Corbion’s Luminy High Heat PLA material. They are currently being tested in the market by numerous European companies after having passed biodegradability tests and being certified by TUV as home compostable.
“We’re excited about the potential of compostable bioplastics to provide an environmentally friendly alternative to single-use petrochemical plastics,” said Thomas Philipon, CEO of TotalEnergies Corbion. Danimer has estimated that, in the European market, 550 million pounds of plastic are used in the manufacture of single-use coffee pods annually.
The two companies have been partners since 2021, when they first entered a long-term collaborative arrangement for the supply of Luminy PLA, and have since then been been working to create Nodax/ Luminy blends, to meet the specific functionality needs of their customers for a variety of applications. “We hope that the coffee pod biopolymer we’ve developed in partnership with Danimer Scientific will be the first of many collaborations to come,” added Philipon.
“We support the EU’s proposed new regulations as a necessary first step in addressing the problem of plastic waste, and we’re pleased to be offering our compostable coffee pod biopolymer as one example of how the technology behind bioplastics has evolved to serve the needs of manufacturers, regulators and consumers as the world moves toward a cleaner and more responsible future,” said Scott Tuten, chief marketing and sustainability officer of Danimer Scientific.
Coinciding with this announcement, Stephen Croskrey, chairman and chief executive officer of Danimer Scientific, will be ringing the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange today, Monday, April 17, to mark the beginning of Earth Week.
Danimer holds more than 430 granted patents and pending patent applications in more than 20 countries for a range of manufacturing processes and biopolymer formulations.
TotalEnergies Corbion is a leading global producer of PLA and lactide monomers. The Luminy PLA portfolio, which includes both high heat and standard PLA grades, is used in a wide range of markets from packaging to consumer goods, fibers and automotive. TotalEnergies Corbion, headquartered in the Netherlands, operates a 75,000 tons per year PLA production facility in Rayong, Thailand and has recently announced the intention to build a second plant in Grandpuits, France. The company is a 50/50 joint venture between TotalEnergies and Corbion.