May. 26, 2025
For modern coffee consumers, sustainable packaging is more important than ever. Packaging accounts for nearly 40% of all global waste, so consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies need to innovate with their packaging strategy to address this.
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For specialty coffee roasters, it means reducing the environmental impact of coffee packaging. This requires coffee businesses to look beyond conventional recyclable packaging, finding new developments to innovate with your coffee packaging materials.
To learn about how to innovate with your coffee packaging materials, I spoke to Charlotte Dibble. She is the Digital Content and Web-Based Marketing Creative at Two Chimps Coffee, a roaster based in Rutland, England. Read on to see her recommendations.
Recyclable coffee packaging materials like 4Cycle coffee bags made from low-density polyethylene (LDPE), kraft paper, and glass are now common in the industry. However, you can further innovate with your coffee packaging materials by using other sustainable materials.
“Currently, most coffee bags are made from a single type of plastic (LDPE) and do not have a foil liner,” Charlotte says. This simplifies the recycling process because consumers don’t need to separate materials before disposing of them.
However, developments in biodegradable and compostable packaging allow roasters to innovate further. These materials require less energy to produce and are similarly easy for consumers to dispose of at home, so their advantages are undeniable.
Bioplastics like polylactic acid (PLA) are ideal for biodegradable or compostable coffee packaging. Its production utilises renewable resources such as starch, sugarcane, vegetable oil, and cassava. This reduces the reliance on fossil fuels, which is necessary to produce PE.
However, PLA requires industrial processing to break down properly, so alternative materials like mushroom packaging provide a solution for the future. While far less common, coffee packaging made from mycelium can decompose at home in up to 45 days.
Alternative packaging materials may be unsuitable for some roasters. This may be due to a lack of availability in their region or rising operational costs that require roasters to find cheaper options.
“We are interested in innovations that could lead to biodegradable options without compromising the quality of the coffee inside, as freshness is key,” Charlotte says.
Another way to innovate with your coffee packaging materials is by adding tactile designs that resonate with consumers. This can give the packaging a premium feel to entice customers to pick it up and to help it stand out from competitors on retail shelves.
To achieve this, roasters can use embossing and debossing to alter highlighted elements of the bag’s texture. This involves a printing machine with two metal plates that press the design onto the coffee packaging. The upper plate heats the material and the lower plate then presses in from the other side, raising or lowering the selected area.
Embossing and debossing allow roasters to highlight specific areas of their packaging – commonly logos or text. As they are raised or lowered to a different point than the rest of the packaging, the highlighted area naturally stands out to consumers, making it memorable.
Sensory marketing is an increasingly common trend in specialty coffee. By using embossing and debossing to innovate with your coffee packaging materials, consumers are more likely to pick up the coffee packaging and learn more.
Minimalist designs reduce the material requirements to produce a roaster’s packaging, helping align with sustainability trends. “We have significantly reduced [waste] by using generic designs and packaging solutions that accommodate multiple products,” Charlotte explains.
Two Chimps’ presentation boxes and polyethylene bags are standardised in design. However, the roaster uses recyclable stickers and paper labels to detail each coffee’s origin and processing method. This ensures they don’t need to print a unique design on each one.
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“This approach allows us to avoid waste,” says Charlotte. “When the product changes for one of our single-origin coffees, we don’t have to discard [custom bags].”
Roasters can take minimalist coffee packaging materials further by using as few materials as possible – such as kraft paper bags with aqueous linings. By taking away the need for consumers to separate packaging before disposal, it reduces the risk of it ending up in landfills.
However, roasters must ensure that minimalist material approaches don’t compromise the packaging’s functionality. This means sourcing sustainable versions of features like one-way degassing valves or tear notches. By doing so, roasters can use minimalist design to sustainably lower the demand for extra packaging materials.
New innovations in upcycling allow roasters to use previously discarded materials as part of their coffee packaging. For example, fibres extracted from spent coffee grounds can be repurposed as biodegradable plastic film under the right conditions. Roasters can use this film as a lining for coffee bags, which allows roasters to innovatively source packaging materials from their existing waste products.
However, it’s a form of innovation that is still in active development. “Since the process is not yet perfected and can be an expensive undertaking, we have concerns about pricing,” says Charlotte. “While some customers may want to make more environmentally friendly choices, they might be deterred by the higher price tags associated with these products.”
PCR materials are made when consumers recycle existing packaging and its elements are broken down and repurposed industrially. For coffee packaging, this often takes the form of polyethylene from carrier bags or other plastic-based products being recycled into coffee bags. For example, Pact Coffee uses 70% PCR materials for its PE coffee bags to reduce its reliance on the fossil fuels required to produce PE.
Not only do post-consumer materials reduce the environmental impact of packaging, but by using them, it aligns with rising consumer demands for evidence of sustainable practices.
You can innovate with your coffee packaging by using technologies like QR codes to enhance the consumer experience without requiring extra packaging materials. Unlike NFC tags or sensors, QR codes can be printed directly onto bags or cups without using additional materials. Combined with low-VOC inks that are easier to dispose of and release fewer emissions during production, it’s an ideal packaging option for roasters.
When harnessed innovatively, QR codes can also reduce the amount of materials required for coffee packaging. “Instead of providing a lengthy printed brew guide, you can now link to a digital version through a QR code,” Charlotte explains.
This strategy reduces the need for additional printing and labelling, helping roasters reduce their material requirements for packaging.
As consumers prioritise sustainability when making purchases, it’s more important than ever to innovate with your coffee packaging materials. MTPak Coffee can help roasters adapt their existing strategy with complete coffee packaging solutions.
We offer compostable, biodegradable, and recyclable packaging to ensure your materials are sustainable and compatible with industry standards. We also offer printing services with fast turnaround times and low-VOC inks, so you can innovate with your coffee packaging materials without impacting your product’s sustainability.
To learn more about how MTPak Coffee can help you innovate with your coffee packaging materials, contact our team.
May 24,
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