Transcend Coffee Launches New Biodegradable Coffee Bags

"Omnidegradable” film made by partner Hamilton Ontario’s TekPak Solutions

Transcend Coffee is pleased to announce that we have switched our retail coffee packaging to new biodegradable bags, manufactured in North America.

The special biodegradable material will degrade in backyard composts, aerobic and anaerobic landfills, rivers, lakes and oceans. At the same time, the bags are sealable, shelf-stable and contain a one-way valve to provide the same level of protection and freshness as more typical coffee packaging.

We have partnered with Hamilton Ontario’s TekPak Solutions who has the biodegradable film produced in the USA and the bags constructed in Canada. Case Western University in Cleveland conducted a five-year study on this product to test claims of biodegradability as well as possible side effects to delicate plants and insects and found no harm even at high doses 50 times normal. The film does not depend on water, heat, sunlight or oxygen to degrade. It only reacts with the ever-present microbes in soil or water, making it even more degradable than other products labeled as biodegradable. For this reason, TekPak calls the product “Omnidegradable” The European Union’s Committee on Sustainable Plastics commissioned a study on sustainable films and called this product “the only viable solution available today.”

“We’re happy to make the move to a more sustainable bag,” says Poul Mark, founder of Transcend Coffee. “We want to be good stewards of the environment and support Canadian business. This bag delivers on both fronts.” Most other sealable coffee packaging is plastic with a foil lining that makes it impossible to recycle or compost and is most often manufactured in Asia.

The new packaging has several other features designed to make consumers’ coffee brewing experience more convenient and enjoyable. The label features the new Transcend Taste Index, which plots the level of acidity, body and complexity of the coffee in the bag. The idea is to help coffee drinkers discover what attributes they like best in their beans so they can better choose coffees they will enjoy in the future. The stand-up coffee pouch also has a resealable ziplock to keep coffee fresher and colour coded labels to differentiate filter coffee from espresso and decaffeinated beans.

Source

Transcent Coffee, press release, 2013-02-01.

Supplier

Case Western Reserve University
European Union
TekPak Solutions
Transcend Coffee

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