What is the most sustainable coffee packaging? We have switched our coffee bags from paper-plastic composite to mono-plastic. These are apparently considered more sustainable. But how sustainable are they really? We compared them.
First things first: there is still a long way to go to truly sustainable packaging. We found that not much has changed with the new packaging, at least in terms of our carbon footprint.
As our packaging ran out, we faced the question: Can we improve in this area? After discussions with suppliers and online research, we opted for mono-plastic packaging as a more sustainable solution.
In the meantime, however, we continued to search and intensified our efforts in the area of sustainability. Through internal CO2 measurement, the topic of packaging once again came into focus, as it is responsible for almost 55% of the roastery's emissions (the measurement already refers to the new packaging). This still corresponds to approx. 4% of the emissions of the entire chain. (Based on an average of conventional coffees from Brazil between 2001-2014. Source: ecoinvent)
What is plastic?
Plastics are made from petroleum (and partly from natural gas).
The distillation of petroleum produces crude gasoline, also known as naphtha. This is cracked into ethene, propene, and butene, from which various plastics can be produced. (There are different processes at all stages, but we don't want to get lost in the details here.)
Mono-plastics for coffee packaging are typically plastics based on polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PP). They are considered sustainable because, unlike all composite materials (paper/plastic, plastic/plastic, aluminum/paper, etc.), they have a major advantage: they are recyclable.
This means that composite packaging ends up in incineration, while mono-plastic packaging, perhaps, does not. Perhaps the argument for sustainable packaging is primarily based on this. That's why the big question is: how much of our packaging is recycled and how?
CO2 Footprint: New vs. Old Packaging
You can find more information on CO2 and climate change here. For clarification: CO2e stands for CO2 equivalents and converts the impact of all greenhouse gases into CO2.
This information makes it easier for us to compare footprints. However, it also carries the risk of getting too fixated on it, keyword: carbon tunnel (more on that another time.)
CO2 Footprint of individual materials
First, we look at the emissions of the individual materials. To be meaningful here, it would not be correct to consider only the production of the individual materials; every processing step, as well as disposal, must be taken into account.
Therefore, we refer here to ecoinvent, a life cycle assessment database with which processes and procedures can be created based on LCAs (Life Cycle Assessments), and a study on "Climate Benefits of Material Recycling*)"
| Material | Emissions Production |
Emissions Recycling |
Emissions Disposal/Incineration |
| LDPE |
2.14 |
0.7 |
2.7** |
| LLDPE |
1.91 |
0.7 |
2.7** |
| PP |
1.9 |
0.7 |
2.7** |
| PET | 2.83 | 0.7 | 2.7** |
| Glass* |
0.9 |
0.5 |
|
| Aluminum* |
11 |
0.4 |
0.2 |
| Paper & Cardboard* |
1.1 |
0.7 |
0.2 |
So, for 1kg of our mono-LDPE packaging (which corresponds to approx. 70 250g packs), 2.14 kg CO2e /kg are generated in the production of the raw material.
We could not find precise data for further processing, so we refer to a dataset in ecoinvent on the production of packaging film. Thus, the further processing here accounts for 0.82 kg CO2e /kg.
We do not include another life cycle and the associated emissions. What we have found is that sorting, washing, and melting generate an additional 0.7 kg CO2e per kg. (Source: ecoinvent) This is followed by further processing.
What is recycling?
Recycling reuses waste and returns it to the economic cycle. In Germany, recyclable materials are collected in the yellow bin and then processed. This means they are sorted, cleaned (e.g., the label is removed), and then melted down so that they can be reused. A distinction is still made here:
- Reuse: Reusable bottles can be refilled up to 50 times
- Material recycling: PET bottles can be melted down and then made into new PET bottles
- Energy recovery: Waste incineration. Not included in the recycling rate
The sale of recyclable material abroad is included in the quota.
Differences in recycling in Switzerland and Germany
In Germany, packaging waste is separated in the so-called dual system and collected nationwide ("yellow bag"). As a company, we are obliged to finance this system through contributions as a distributor of packaging.
In Switzerland, a nationwide collection and recycling system is being developed called "Sammlung 2025". Currently, there is no uniform system here yet.
Note 1: In general, the incentive for plastic recycling is low, as it causes higher costs and efforts than the production of new material.
Note 2: The recycling code serves as identification and is intended to help consumers with sorting.
Detailed information on recycling can be found here.
Is mono-plastic better than PET?
Does mono-plastic have a recycling rate like PET bottles (92% ***) or does the German dual system's rate (63% ****) apply, or Germany's plastic packaging rate in 2020 (46.2% *****) or the global rate from the OECD report (9% ******)?
How high is the CO2 footprint of the new packaging depending on the recycling rate?
We now calculate the footprint depending on the different recycling rates by proportionally excluding disposal for further processing from the calculation.
| Recycling rate | Emissions per kg |
Emissions per packaging |
| 100.00% |
2.96 |
0.042 |
| 93.00% |
3.15 |
0.045 |
| 63.00% |
3.96 |
0.057 |
| 46.20% |
4.41 |
0.063 |
| 9.00% |
5.42 |
0.077 |
What do these figures tell us? Taken by themselves, they only tell us that a high recycling rate is better than a low one. So far, so good.
Interim result: Our bag has a footprint of 0.063 kg CO2e per bag with the current recycling rate in Germany.
How high is the footprint of the old bag?
Our old packaging consisted of:
| Material | Weight in g/m² | |
|
Paper |
40 |
27.97 % |
| PET |
16.8 |
11.75 % |
| PE |
76.8 |
53.71 % |
| Valve | 0.67 |
0.47 % |
| Adhesive and paint | 8.42 |
5.89 % |
| Zipper |
0.31 |
0.22 % |
| Total |
143 |
This results in 4.49 kg CO2e /kg, which corresponds to 0.064kg CO2e per 250g package.
It can be seen that the paper content has a positive influence on the footprint, as it generates a much lower footprint both in production and in incineration.
The more plastic in the packaging, the higher the emissions.
Are our new bags more sustainable than the old ones?
With the paper content of the old packaging at 28% and Germany's current recycling rate, we have improved by 54g CO2e per kg of packaging. This corresponds to approx. 0.77g CO2e per 250g of packaging.
| Germany recycling rate 2020 | Emissions old packaging |
Emissions new packaging |
| 46.20% |
64.257 |
63.481 |
However, transport is not considered in this analysis, and the processing into mono-LDPE film seems rather energy-efficient compared to the production of the stand-up pouch with zipper and valve.
What is the most sustainable coffee packaging?
We have not yet been able to answer the following questions. New ones are added daily. We are working on gathering information and constantly updating this blog. If you also have questions about sustainable coffee packaging, information, tips, and addresses, please share them in the comments.
- What are realistic values for the recycling of coffee packaging?
- How does transport affect the footprint?
- What are the actual emissions in the production of packaging?
- How often can our packaging be recycled?
- How high are the emissions for reuse?
- What are the life cycles of the recyclates and their footprints?
Furthermore, we have not considered the other impacts of plastic (environmental pollution, water consumption, land-use change, etc.) and that even if it does not end up in incineration, the negative influences on the environment are enormous. Here, the global recycling rate of the OECD is alarming and becomes even more alarming when considering the global plastic production of 367 million tons *******.
Our goal must therefore be to avoid plastic wherever possible and, whenever possible, to separate waste to achieve high recycling rates.
We have recently launched the new packaging and, until these packages are used up, we are looking for better alternatives that are suitable for our coffee. Compostable PLA? BIO-PE, single-use or reusable glass, paper?
Sources
* Hillman, "Climate Benefits of Material Recycling", 2015, Status: 18.11.22
** DIW, "On the Way to Climate Neutrality: Plastic Recycling Must Be More Emphasized", 30.06.21, Status: 18.11.22
*** BVSE, "PET BEVERAGE BOTTLES: HIGH RECYCLING RATE AND INCREASING USE OF RECYCLED MATERIAL", Nov. 20, Status: 18.11.22
**** Nörr, "Has the Dual System Failed in Plastic Recycling?", 14.02.2022, Status: 18.11.22
***** Burger, "Generation and Recovery of Packaging Waste in Germany in 2020", Sept. 2022, Status: 18.11.22
****** Zeit, Only nine percent of globally used plastic is recycled, 22.02.2022, Status: 18.11.22
******* Statista: "Global and European plastic production in the years 1950 to 2020", 2022, Status: 18.11.22
