Qbo Coffee's new coffee capsules use 70% bio-based materials
Coffee capsules are becoming more and more popular, but they are usually single-use and made of virgin polypropylene (PP).
German coffee maker Tchibo teamed up with Berry and Neste to try to optimize the materials in its capsules for its Qbo brand. The result is the introduction of coffee capsules that are reportedly made from the same types of bio-based polymers, such as waste and residual oils and fats, used cooking oils.
According to a life cycle assessment carried out by the Technical University of Berlin according to ISO 14040/44, the conversion of the Qbo capsule material reduces CO2 emissions by around 35%.
Tchibo's capsule and innovation development manager Marius-Konstantin Wiche explained that while Tchibo's Qbo capsules are still made from polypropylene (PP), the material is now made from 70% renewable raw materials, rather than virgin petroleum, This is a typical coffee capsule. This makes the entire Qbo range, which contains sustainably grown Qbo coffee brewed in Qbo machines, one of the most environmentally friendly capsule systems.
Renewable materials are sourced using a mass balance approach, which is certified under the International Sustainability and Carbon (ISCC PLUS) system. 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, allowing this information to be displayed on the packaging. The certification provides complete traceability throughout the supply chain, from raw materials to the final coffee capsule, as well as verification of the sustainability of raw materials.
