Issue 04/2018

Coffee capsules & pods
By:
Martin Bussmann
BASF
Ludwigshafen, Germany
Enjoying coffee with
compostable coffee capsules
Coffee capsules are convenient for consumers, easy to dispense and practical. However, in Germany
alone, they generate around 5,000 tonnes of waste each year. Compostable bioplastics by BASF for the
manufacture of coffee capsules set an example against this trend – with tailored ecovio ® grades for the
production of a wide range of flexible and rigid compostable packaging.
Cappuccino for breakfast, an espresso in the afternoon
– simply by pushing a button on your own coffee
machine. Portioned capsules are particularly popular
with coffee lovers as they are easy to use and make quality
coffee quickly. However, the packaging potentially pollutes
the environment. Commercially available capsules consist
of aluminium and conventional plastic and are either burned
after use or are difficult to recycle. At the same time, there
is increasing public interest in sustainable products that
contribute to circular economy.
As early as 2013, BASF developed a biodegradable coffee
capsule with Swiss Coffee Company for gourmet coffee using
its certified compostable and partly biobased ecovio, which
was optimised for injection moulding for this purpose. While
the material had until then only been used in mulch films
and bags, it was now possible for the first time to implement
ecovio commercially in an injection moulding application -
and at the same time meeting the particular requirements
of coffee capsules: The capsule can withstand the high
pressure and the heat that are generated by the machine
in the brewing process. Flavour-tight barrier secondary
packaging, which is also compostable, ensures that the
coffee aroma is optimally maintained. The application
won the 2014 Global Bioplastics Award presented by
bioplastics MAGAZINE.
Since this breakthrough, BASF has been working
continuously on its product portfolio to enable different
processing technologies for the manufacture of coffee
capsules. It is focusing on improving application-specific
requirements such as dimensional stability under heat and
an oxygen barrier. For thin-walled capsules, the injection
moulding grade ecovio IA1652 offers a greater dimensional
stability under heat along with ideal mechanical stability.
Now also on the market: the grade ecovio T2308, which
allows thin-walled capsules to be manufactured also by
thermoforming. Another milestone is the development of
technologies for inserting an oxygen barrier, which means
that both the injection moulding grade ecovio IA1652 and
the thermoforming material ecovio TA1241 can be given an
oxygen barrier during the production of the capsules.
In 2017, BASF and the French company Capsul’in were
awarded the Pierre Potier innovation prize for a coffee
capsule made of ecovio IA1652. The award, presented by
the French Ministry of Economy and Industry on behalf
of the French Federation for Chemistry Sciences and
the Federation of the Chemical Industry, recognises
innovation in sustainable development and encourages
environmentally friendly approaches. The ecovio coffee
capsules, which are certified compostable, are broken down
in industrial composting plants into water, CO 2
and quality
compost, and metabolised by microorganisms. Within
twelve weeks the capsules are degraded into industrial
compost. The development of compostable coffee capsules
therefore allows not only a more responsible handling of
packaging, but also a transformation of the raw material
back to valuable compost at the end of its life cycle and a
reduction of unnecessary waste.
www.ecovio.basf.com
Manufactured by injection moulding: thin-walled coffee capsules
made of ecovio IA1652 (Photo: BASF)
Thermoformed coffee capsules made of ecovio TA1241 enable
high dimensional stability under heat, good mechanical stability
and at the same time a reliable oxygen barrier. (Photo: BASF)
36 bioplastics MAGAZINE [04/18] Vol. 13