Berry Global Group, Tchibo and Neste have partnered to introduce of a capsule made from renewable sources that do not compete with food.
To improve the sustainability of its Qbo brand, Tchibo has sought to optimise the material in its capsules. Working with Berry and Neste, they have launch a coffee capsule that is produced from identical types of polymers, which instead are made by using bio-based raw materials such as waste and residue oils and fats, for example used cooking oils.
A life cycle assessment by the Technical University of Berlin, carried out in compliance with ISO 14040/44, has shown that the conversion of the Qbo capsule material results in around 35% fewer CO2 emissions.
Marius-Konstantin Wiche, Development Manager, Capsule and Innovation at Tchibo said, “We are pleased to offer Qbo capsules made of PP, now produced from 70% renewable raw materials. This makes the entire Qbo range, containing sustainably grown Qbo coffee brewed in Qbo machines, is one of the most sustainable capsule systems in the market.”
Mass balance certification enables the proportion of bio-based raw materials used in the production value chain to be mathematically assigned to the final product, so that this can be advertised on the packaging. The certification therefore provides full traceability throughout the supply chain, from raw materials to finished coffee capsule, as well as sustainability validation of the raw materials.
Wiche continued, “We needed to ensure that the high quality and great taste of the Qbo coffee would not be affected. That’s why we focused on replacing the raw materials for the capsules, not the PP itself. The renewable materials go into producing PP polymers with the same quality as virgin PP; you won’t see or taste any difference.”
“We chose Berry for this project as they have experience with our product and hold the required ISCC PLUS certification to produce the capsules from renewable materials. The company’s knowledge of foil extrusion and thermoforming for our capsules is excellent and we also appreciate their in-house engineering and machining of related parts for our products.”
For Berry, the introduction of the new capsules supports its recently announced commitment to achieve 30% circular plastics use across its fast-moving consumer goods packaging by 2030 as the company envisions decoupling from virgin plastic and fossil fuels in the long term.
Jean-Marc Galvez, President of Berry’s Consumer Packaging International Division said, “Supporting our customers’ growing sustainability commitments is a key priority as we plan for the future needs of a net-zero, circular economy. Delivering the infrastructure and manufacturing capabilities to design products for circularity is one of our core competencies. I am incredibly proud of this partnership and its commitment to demonstrate the potential of renewable raw materials to lower the environmental impact of capsules.”
Wiche concluded, “Together, our Tchibo team, Neste, and Berry have created a fantastic result. The Qbo coffee still maintains its premium quality, but now in a capsule produced with less CO2 emissions.”