Amcor to offer ‘recyclable’ paper bag packaging for coffee refills

Amcor's new paper stand-up pouch is designed to offer 'recyclable' refill packaging for dry beverage products such as instant coffee, which it claims can reduce carbon footprint by 73% and meet consumer demand for recyclable refill packaging.

 

The new bag, which is being launched first in EMEA, is part of Amcor's AmFiber performance paper portfolio. Due to its 85% fiber content, Cepi and Aticelca have already certified it as curbside recyclable in "several" European countries.

 

After using the Recyda platform to compare the performance of the AmFiber paper bag to standard PET/ALU/PE bags, Amcor concluded that the recyclability of the package could help brands reduce EPR charges by 70-90% in certain regions.

 

It also used its Carbon Trust-certified ASSET life cycle assessment model to calculate that the refillable bag could reduce the carbon footprint of dry beverage packaging by up to 73%, which includes a 71% reduction in non-renewable energy use and a 41% reduction in water use.

 

This is in response to consumer demand for recyclable packaging, with data from Absolute Market Research showing that 89% of shoppers consider recyclable packaging to be very important.

 

The AmFiber bag's "excellent" seal integrity and barrier properties will help preserve the taste and aroma of instant coffee products, while its "robust" bottom bag corners are said to optimize functionality and appearance.

 

In addition, it is said to be compatible with coffee brands' existing machinery, and its lightweight and compact design is designed to simplify distribution.

 

 

Giorgio Dini, coffee marketing manager at Amcor, said: "The latest member of the AmFiber family provides coffee and dry beverage brands with a more attractive packaging solution that has a natural paper-like appeal and is recyclable. Helping to advance more circular refill packaging, we are proud to announce the AmFiber Performance Paper Stand-Up Pouch as we continue to innovate in paper-based solutions."

 

In a similar development, JDE Peet's coffee brands, including Kenco, Douwe Egberts and L'Or, implemented "home recyclable" refill packaging in retailers across the UK and Ireland last January. The packs are reportedly made from more than 85% paper and are believed to require 97% less packaging than a standard 200g glass jar, helping to minimise the brand's packaging footprint.

 

Nestlé's recent efforts to design 95% of its plastic packaging to be recyclable and remove a third of virgin plastic from its product lines by 2025 include working with external partners and suppliers to pursue high-barrier paper packaging for its coffee products and other categories.

 

Other new developments from Amcor include its "recyclable" mono-material AmPrima Flowpack Pro solution, which is designed to reduce the baking industry"s reliance on non-recyclable packaging. It claims to achieve up to 82% reduction in carbon footprint, as well as up to 77% reduction in non-renewable energy use and up to 89% reduction in water use compared to traditional packaging solutions.