The Swedish coffee roaster says the move is an ‘amazing step forward’ for the entire coffee industry and advances its goal of generating zero waste from its operations by 2030
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Madelene Breiling, Head of Operational Development, Löfbergs | Photo credit: Löfbergs
Löfbergs has unveiled a ‘world-first’ mono-laminate coffee packaging, which can be fully-recycled instead of being disposed of in landfill or incinerated.
The Swedish coffee roaster said the climate impact of the new packaging, which contains only one type of plastic, is 55% lower compared to previous Löfbergs coffee packages, which are made of multilayer films — several layers with different types of plastic.
“This is an amazing step forward – not just for us, but for the entire coffee industry that can reduce the climate footprint even more now. We have already started using the new packaging and the feedback from our customers is very positive. Coffee is a sensitive product and the packaging must make sure that the flavours and aromas are preserved. That the packaging can be collected, sorted and recycled in all markets has also been an important aspect during the development,” said Madelene Breiling, Head of Operational Development, Löfbergs.
Löfbergs has targeted becoming zero waste by 2030, which includes only using packaging with recycled or recyclable material that can be recycled.
The coffee roaster said the new packaging has been approved and certified by Germany’s Institut cyclos-HTP, which has designed a catalogue for requirements and evaluation for assessing the recyclability of packaging and goods.
Reducing packaging waste has become a key concern for major coffee roasters.
In November 2021, UK-based Union Hand-Roasted Coffee launched a trial exploring 100% recyclable, plastic free, paper coffee packages. The London-based coffee roaster introduced fully recyclable LDPE monoplastic within its retail coffee packaging in May 2022.
Fellow London-based coffee roaster Origin Coffee implemented a new range of home compostable coffee packaging in June 2022, comprising three, plant-based layers, while Caravan Coffee Roasters promotes its plastic-free coffee bags as industrially compostable, meaning they can be deposited in food waste bins and will fully compost within 90 days.