MILAN — Bioplastics Magazine recently invited Aldo Zanetti, Trinseo´s Business Unit Manager, TPE Solutions – Medical & Packaging, to discuss Trinseo’s development of biodegradable materials for a variety of different applications, including compostable coffee capsules.
In the interview, Zanetti describes how every year an estimated 50 billion single-serve coffee capsules are sold worldwide. Although these capsules are extremely convenient, they are not always recyclable – and as a result, the plastic and aluminum properties of the capsules end up in landfill waste.
Pairing this knowledge with the continuously progressing trend of global coffee consumption via single-serve capsule machines, Zanetti addressed the coffee industry’s urgent need for more sustainable packaging options and Trinseo’s offered solutions.
“Over the years and through joint developments with customers, combined with our technology expertise, we have expanded our biodegradable compounds portfolio,” explains Zanetti. “Trinseo’s portfolio ranges from low to high rigidity, to meet a wide spectrum of requirements for packaging and agricultural applications.”
In 2014, Trinseo launched one of the first biodegradable and compostable compound for single-serve coffee capsules. The company has also developed a unique and wide-ranging spectrum of biodegradable color masterbatches compatible with all of their bio resins.
In addition, the Company’s APINAT® Bioplastics portfolio complies with global food contact regulations, making it easier for manufacturers to process. As Zanetti says, this means manufacturers can compete with conventional plastics in the coffee capsule business and that the combination of coffee powder and biodegradable material constitutes a perfect match.
