ecovio® - 以可再生原料为基础的可堆肥塑料

The Swiss Coffee Company’s special products please the palate. This young company promotes sustainability in coffee production, packaging, and waste disposal. BASF is involved, because its compostable plastic ecovio^® is used in the Swiss company’s coffee capsules and packaging.

Whether filter coffee, espresso, cappuccino, or latte macchiato – coffee is Germany’s drink of choice. And the trend is toward brewing single cups quickly and conveniently, at the touch of a button. In addition, the coffee should be of high quality with a delicious taste and full aroma. So it’s not surprising that coffee from pads and capsules is booming.

According to the Deutscher Kaffeeverband (German Coffee Association), the market for coffee capsules in Germany alone grew by 16 percent from 2011 to 2012. That means two billion capsules or 10,000 tons of capsule waste. Most of these single-portion capsules, which consist in large part of aluminum, generally end up as residual waste. And that’s where BASF comes into play.

“We have developed a coffee capsule made of ecovio^® for the Swiss Coffee Company. It’s biodegradable and can be composted together with the coffee grounds,” says Martin Bussmann, Global New Business Development for biodegradable polymers from BASF.

The capsules are made of the new, injection-molded grade ecovio^® IS 1335. This plastic has to possess special production properties. On the one hand, it needs to be flowable so it can distribute well when injected into a hollow cavity. On the other hand, it has to cool down quickly in the mold so the finished capsule can be promptly removed. ecovio^® meets these requirements.

In addition, the capsules have a special design, which enables them to withstand high pressure and heat that arise in the machine during the brewing process when hot water is forced into them through tiny holes.

The material for the aroma-proof capsule packaging is also based on ecovio^®. “Conventional disposable capsules made of aluminum protect the coffee powder from oxygen and light,” says Bussmann. This keeps the coffee aroma inside the capsules. “For plastic capsules,” he explains, “the job is done by the aroma-proof packaging that the capsules come in.”

The outer layer of this packaging is made of paper, the middle layer is a thin barrier film, and the inner sealing layer is ecovio^®. The three layers are bonded together with the compostable laminating adhesive Epotal^® Eco from BASF. This packaging protects each individual capsule from light, oxygen, and moisture, therefore preserving the aroma. The entire packaging is also biodegradable and compostable.

The Swiss Coffee Company has been offering coffee in Germany and Switzerland under the trade name “beanarella” in these compostable ecovio^® capsules since October 2013, as well as the associated coffee machines. The company only uses coffee that is organic and fair trade. The coffee capsules and machines are available from the beanarella online shop.

The Swiss Coffee Company’s special products please the palate. This young company promotes sustainability in coffee production, packaging, and waste disposal. BASF is involved, because its compostable plastic ecovio^® is used in the Swiss company’s coffee capsules and packaging.

Whether filter coffee, espresso, cappuccino, or latte macchiato – coffee is Germany’s drink of choice. And the trend is toward brewing single cups quickly and conveniently, at the touch of a button. In addition, the coffee should be of high quality with a delicious taste and full aroma. So it’s not surprising that coffee from pads and capsules is booming.

According to the Deutscher Kaffeeverband (German Coffee Association), the market for coffee capsules in Germany alone grew by 16 percent from 2011 to 2012. That means two billion capsules or 10,000 tons of capsule waste. Most of these single-portion capsules, which consist in large part of aluminum, generally end up as residual waste. And that’s where BASF comes into play.

“We have developed a coffee capsule made of ecovio^® for the Swiss Coffee Company. It’s biodegradable and can be composted together with the coffee grounds,” says Martin Bussmann, Global New Business Development for biodegradable polymers from BASF.

The capsules are made of the new, injection-molded grade ecovio^® IS 1335. This plastic has to possess special production properties. On the one hand, it needs to be flowable so it can distribute well when injected into a hollow cavity. On the other hand, it has to cool down quickly in the mold so the finished capsule can be promptly removed. ecovio^® meets these requirements.

In addition, the capsules have a special design, which enables them to withstand high pressure and heat that arise in the machine during the brewing process when hot water is forced into them through tiny holes.

The material for the aroma-proof capsule packaging is also based on ecovio^®. “Conventional disposable capsules made of aluminum protect the coffee powder from oxygen and light,” says Bussmann. This keeps the coffee aroma inside the capsules. “For plastic capsules,” he explains, “the job is done by the aroma-proof packaging that the capsules come in.”

The outer layer of this packaging is made of paper, the middle layer is a thin barrier film, and the inner sealing layer is ecovio^®. The three layers are bonded together with the compostable laminating adhesive Epotal^® Eco from BASF. This packaging protects each individual capsule from light, oxygen, and moisture, therefore preserving the aroma. The entire packaging is also biodegradable and compostable.

The Swiss Coffee Company has been offering coffee in Germany and Switzerland under the trade name “beanarella” in these compostable ecovio^® capsules since October 2013, as well as the associated coffee machines. The company only uses coffee that is organic and fair trade. The coffee capsules and machines are available from the beanarella online shop.