Greiner Packaging seeks certification for home compostable capsule packaging
Whether used for coffee, tea, or baby food, capsules made from aluminium or plastic are now a must-have in many households. To improve its ecological footprint, Greiner Packaging is currently working on a solution made from compostable polymer, so that customers can easily recycle used capsules on their own backyard compost heaps.
Greiner Packaging has an ultra-precise production process in place and uses barrier technology to guarantee the perfect taste. This protects the packaged product from external influences such as oxygen penetration, extending its shelf life and ensuring that optimum flavour is retained. Multibarrier technology (MBT) can be used in combination with thermoforming, injection moulding, and in-mould labelling.
Disposal in home composters
When it comes to sustainability, many people are critical of capsules – but this form of packaging is more environmentally friendly than its image might suggest. After all, it provides the product with the best possible protection, preventing it from spoiling and going to waste. The coffee inside the capsule is precisely measured, with one capsule per cup meaning that the consumer never uses too much. If Greiner Packaging has its way, the packaging will become even more sustainable in the future, it says. “It was important to us to find a solution that would meet our high-quality standards for product protection and would also be sustainable, environmentally friendly, and user-friendly,” explains Taner Ertan, international business development manager at Greiner Packaging. “After extensive research, we decided on a polymer which is compostable and has good barrier properties. We have already put this material through an initial series of successful product tests.”
The process of having the new home compostable capsule certified by TÜV AUSTRIA BELGIUM nv has been underway since the beginning of February, with completion expected in the autumn. The goal is for it to receive the OK Home Compost certificate, which is only awarded to products that can be composted at low temperatures – for example, in the composter in a consumer’s backyard.
“Organic material accounts for around 50% of all household waste. That figure will loom even larger in the future due to the increasing popularity of biodegradable products, such as packaging materials and disposable cutlery. We want to make a contribution here, too,” Ertan adds. The TÜV certification process for the final home compostable capsule should be completed by the fourth quarter of this year, with the capsule available in the colors black and white, additional colors will follow.
