Our Packaging

We’re proud to be the first coffee brand to receive the ‘Plastic Free Trust Mark’ from A Plastic Planet.  You’ll start to notice the Plastic-Free logo on our new home compostable Ground, Beans and Coffee Bag packaging from November 2018.  Like many, we want to do more to reduce the amount of packaging (particularly plastic) we’re using, and as a UK retail brand which sells more than 4 million products a year, we have an important role to play in reducing the impact we are making on our planet. Our aim is to give customers a Plastic-Free option, without compromising on price, our ethical certifications or our great tasting coffee.  Soon our whole company will be plastic-free and we’re excited to have you with us on this important journey.

How to dispose of our packaging

Below you can find information on all of our packaging, the changes we’re making to be as sustainable as possible, and some of your FAQs.

We believe this is the most sustainable option on the market We’re looking into other options We’re not happy with this ‘industry standard’ and are looking at ways to innovate in this area
We want to make it as clear as possible what material our packaging is made from and what to do with it once you’re finished.  We’re on a journey to make our packaging as sustainable as possible, we’re proud of where we’ve got to but there’s still work to do.

Plastic Free FAQS

Why change to home compostable packaging?

Coffee packs used by the coffee industry are made from mutli-layer barrier laminates that can’t be recycled, so sadly they’ll all end up being incinerated or will remain in landfills or ecosystems for hundreds of years. This amounts to over 100 million coffee packs in the UK alone each year! Our home compostable packaging can be returned back to nature after use, to be used as a soil improver. It is made from renewable resources, reducing the reliance on petrochemicals.

What is it made from?

Our home compostable packaging is made from a blend of compostable polymers, derived from a range of natural products such as paper, plant fibres and eucalyptus wood pulp.

Where should I throw the packaging away?

Put the packaging in your local council food waste bin (check locally) or in your home compost.

What’s the difference between biodegradable and compostable?

‘Compostable’ and ‘biodegradable’ are often mistakenly thought of as interchangeable but they’re not! A material that is biodegradable will be broken down by biological processes. For a material to be certified compostable, it must break down under the proper composting conditions with the resulting elements having value as a soil improver. Our Ground, Beans and Coffee Bag sachets are all certified 100% home compostable.

How long does it take to compost?

Home Compost (e.g. your garden compost) – less than 26 weeks at ambient temperature (<30C) Industrial Compost (local council food bin) – less than 12 weeks at 60C

What does it break down into?

Our home compostable packaging breaks down into water, carbon dioxide and biomass. Once turned into compost it can be used to improve soil.

What happens if the packaging is put into a regular bin?

We strongly encourage you to put our home compostable packaging in your local council food waste bin (check locally) or home compost. If put in to your regular waste bin it will go through the local waste system where it’s likely to enter a landfill or an anaerobic digester. If landfilled, the packaging will act like organic waste, such as a banana peel, which may slowly break down but is likely to remain inert due to the lack of oxygen and moisture required to start bio-degradation.

What is the Plastic-Free logo?

Designed to sit clearly on the front of pack, The Plastic Free TM Consumer Trust Mark from A Plastic Planet instantly informs and empowers consumers to make plastic-free choices to reduce their plastic footprint. All packaging is carefully evaluated by A Plastic Planet’s Plastic Free Panel of world experts in all packaging materials. Percol is the first UK coffee brand to be awarded the trust mark. Our new home compostable packaging is free of conventional plastic derived from fossil fuels.

Does this align with the UK Government’s strategy?

Many brands have signed up to the UK Plastic Pact (WRAP), which works alongside the UK Government and NGOs. The pact states that by 2025 100% of plastic packaging is to be reusable, recyclable or compostable. We are aligned with this approach but feel brands are taking too long to make these urgent changes. We expect to achieve this by the end of 2019 across our whole business.