Our Home Compostable Coffee Bags are certified to Australian home compostable standard AS 5810-2010 is a really strong contender for those looking for a sustainable coffee bag that provides a good level of coffee protection. Here’s the pros and cons of this bag structure, and a few things to consider when weighing up if it’s the right option for your business.
What’s it made from? It’s a structure composed of plant-based materials like sugarcane, corn and cassava, with kraft paper.
PROs
- Solid coffee protection: If you choose our Home Compostable High Barrier option, you’ll be able to ensure your beans are kept at optimum freshness.
- Certified home compostable: In an ideal world, this bag is arguably the most sustainable packaging option. Made from renewable materials, this bag is able to be disposed of in a home compost system after use, and then returned to the ground as organic matter. It doesn’t get more circular than that.
- Strong, durable structure: This is a really durable structure that will keep your product safe and protected during shipping and transit.
- Heat sealable: Seal this bag up using a heat sealer, and you’re good to go.
- Custom printable: This bag is fully custom printable — brand it up the way you want it.
Cons
- Higher price point: This bag is one of our pricier options, if you compare it to mixed plastic or paper alternatives.
- The accessibility of home composting: The stats tell us that, while growing, it’s still a relatively small percentage of the population that use a home compost system, and not all councils accept home compostable products in green bins. While this bag is likely to break down in landfill because it’s made from renewable materials, it’s important to consider how many of your customers will realistically home compost this bag after using it.
Home compostable bags represent an appealing option for roasters who prioritise a circular product life cycle. Compostable materials decompose back into the soil, reducing waste and minimising landfill impact. It is true that some compostable options on the market can present challenges in terms of product integrity, often allowing in moisture or degrading over time. Having said this, EcoBarista’s High Barrier Home Compostable bag has been adopted by some of Australia’s leading roasters, and the plant-based lining has been tried and tested in preserving product quality over a long period of time. Because of this, we have high confidence in this bag as a strong option for roasters wanting a reliable, sustainable coffee bag solution as an alternative to soft plastics.
Currently, Australian infrastructure for processing compostable materials is limited. While some councils have composting facilities, many don’t yet. The great news is that these bags can be composted at home and will decompose in as little as eight weeks, depending on how optimum the conditions are. In the event this bag ends up in landfill, it does have a chance of naturally breaking down over time, even though we don’t recommend that’s how it’s disposed.
To round it up, home compostable coffee bags offer a really innovative, sustainable option to replace traditional plastic or aluminium coffee bags that are really detrimental to the environment. Our home compostable high barrier bag will absolutely keep your beans fresher than a lot of other bag options out there, while being kinder to the planet. The accessibility of home composting has to be considered, though, and the answer to whether this is the right bag for you will come down to where you’re situated, the type of customer you have and the amount you’re willing to invest into packaging.
Want guidance on the process? We’re always up for a chat. Book a call or send us a message.
