As a small roaster, our carbon footprint might be miniature…but we still want to find the best solution to play our little part. Just like you, we care immensely about the environment! Since the switch from foil to soft plastic recyclable bags in 2019 we have been continually on the lookout for more sustainable packaging and since last year September earnestly started conducting in-house tests on various new packaging solutions. Then came last November the unfortunate news of the pause of soft plastic recycling from Australia’s largest RedCycle meant we had to ramp up the testing to find alternative material fast.
Choosing a sustainable option is never an easy task, there were a lot of pros and cons to weigh out. After many months of research and testing on various materials and brands available, we have zoned in on a “least bad” packaging material! Haha, yes “least bad” due to the lack of current options…but facing the present lack of soft plastic recycling situation in Australia, we still hope it to be an upgrade toward a more sustainable packaging solution.
One main thing for us is for the bag to be certified by ABA Australasian Bioplastics Association Australian standard Home Compost AS5810. Having AS5810 certification is important to us as this certification confirms that no toxic effect of the resulting compost on plants and earthworms - an important requirement for us to give the okay to composting customers with home vegetable and fruit gardens!
If you are interested in how we’ve chosen what seems to be the “less bad” packaging bag, we’ve made a table to compare some of the considerations:
Looking forward to continue to explore a more sustainable coffee packaging journey with you!
Ps. Please kindly note, if you happen to miss placed the green coffee card to the bag: on one side of the bag, you will find a handwritten name of the coffee at the bottom right (written with non-toxic soy-based ink).
PPs. Don’t be surprised if you see our bag change again soon if when we find an even “better” alternative:)
*originally printed on cards for our Coffee Beans Subscription Boxes: “Monthly Thought for March and May 2023”. Edits and additions made later in 2023 for web journal archive.
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