Rombouts: bagasse coffeE filters for home use
With more than 125 years experience, Rombouts is a well-established coffee roaster with a worldwide consumer base. This family coffee business was the inventor of the original coffee filter back in 1958: a revolutionary method for consumers to drink a perfectly measured cup of coffee at home. Yet, the original design was made of polypropylene. With the impact of plastic pollution in mind, Rombouts decided to innovate and shift to a home compostable alternative. Reco2Bio guided them in the design and transition to this new packaging solution.
Project challenge
Most coffee filters in the market are made from polypropylene (PP), a very durable plastic with quality performance. But the problem is in the environmental impact: PP is derived from fossil fuels and although it can be recycled, it often ends up in landfills after its use. Consumer awareness is bigger than ever before and with current insights on plastic pollution, it is simply no longer acceptable to use them for one-time disposable products. So here emerged our project challenge: design a new coffee filter which would be compostable at home, by the consumers themselves, and meet all the quality requirements to deliver a deliciously taste brew of coffee.
Materials & technical design: bagasse coffee filters
Together with EuralPack/Be_NaturaL (as suppliers), Reco2Bio developed a new, innovative coffee filter made from bagasse. Bagasse is a byproduct of sugarcane processing. It's available as a source and it is biodegradable, so when using bagasse instead of plastic we reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, we reduce waste, and we reduce our carbon footprint. Bagasse is already used for one-time disposables such as plates or cups, but in this case the challenge was to design it with the specific requirements of a coffee filter. Obviously, the taste and the quality of the coffee may not be impacted, but the filter should also be durable enough for storage and maintain it's strength during the drip time of the coffee while brewing. Bagasse was very often combined with PFAS for strength and durability, but with the new insights on the numerous health risks of PFAS this is no longer an option and formulation of the composition had to be thoroughly adjusted to comply with newly set international standards.
During our project with Rombouts, we developed a new filter combining bagasse with natural, bio-based materials which add the required strength and guarantee the water repellent qualities of the filter without harmful health impacts. Our tests show that the new filters meet and even exceed the quality of the original PP filter.
Production & legislation
After designing the new filter, Reco2Bio advised Rombouts and EuralPack in the transition to a new partner for the manufacturing - a partner with ample experience in bagasse processing and with whom we have a long standing, trusted relationship. Obviously, all the legislative requirements for food safety were taken into account, as well as the requirements of European bioplastics norm EN13432. The
new filter was, in addition to industrial composting, specifically designed to be home compostable by consumers themselves.This adds even more value to the positive environmental impact of this innovation: when composted with used coffee grounds, the bagasse filters enrich the soil with essential nutrients (e.g. nitrogen) which supports plant growth.
This project is a beautiful case of circular economy: using agricultural byproducts as a source instead of a waste. From grounds to growth - enriching the soil with our innovative packaging.
Work with us
This is the type of projects we like to guide at Reco2Bio. Combining consumer pleasure with well-designed material solutions and positive environmental impact. Do you want to know more about this specific project? Or are you interested in exploring of we can help you find sustainable solutions for your packaging? Contact us and we're happy to discuss possibilities!