Sustainable Packaging for Tea Company's Environmental Mission

On Earth Day 2010, Arbor Teas of Ann Arbor, Michigan, became the first tea company in the United States to deliver a full line of organic loose teas in backyard compostable packaging. Founded in 2004 by husband-and-wife team and tea enthusiasts, Aubrey and Jeremy Lopatin, Arbor Teas is passionate about offering top-quality organic teas, while adhering to Fair Trade policies, protecting the environment, and making a positive contribution to their local community.

In fact, sustainability is central to Arbor Teas' mission. "To source the world's most fantastic organic teas and deliver them as sustainably as possible" is one of the core values the organization was founded upon. Not only does Arbor Teas offer one of the largest catalogs of USDA-certified organic teas available, nearly three-quarters are Fair Trade Certified®. In addition, the company avoids teaware and accessory products that are made using any degree of forced child labor, and those containing harmful heavy metals and similar pollutants.

So, when it came to designing its packaging, sustainability was always top-of-mind, and Arbor Teas immediately began a journey that ultimately resulted in the launch of a fully compostable package. Throughout the process, the company advanced its environmental mission, and continues to lead the tea industry through its staunch commitment to sustainable business practices. And, for the first time ever, tea drinkers are now able to compost their tea leaves and tea packaging together in their home composting systems.

Sustainability is a journey

Whether reducing greenhouse gas emissions or transitioning to greener packaging, improving organizational sustainability is indeed a journey. When Arbor Teas was first established, the teas were packaged in traditional tin-plated steel tins; but even then the company already had set its sights on a much higher sustainability goal—a fully compostable package. In addition, Arbor Teas customers, who are very well versed on environmental issues, had an expectation that the company would quickly establish a pathforward for greening its packaging.

So, the Lopatins teamed up with students from the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and began the process of identifying a more sustainable packaging solution. Shortly thereafter, the company switched from packaging in tins to a Kraft bag with a glassine liner and paperboard canister. And, though the bag certainly represented an improvement in sustainability, Arbor Tea held on to its vision to one day offer its complete line of teas in a fully compostable package.

According to co-founder Aubrey Lopatin, "By the time the business had grown to the point where we were actually printing our own packaging, we knew that a fully compostable package was within our reach. So, it was at that point that we began a quest to identify a compostable packaging material, as well as a converter partner to help us produce it."

Through extensive research, Arbor Teas identified NatureFlex™ cellulose-based films by UK-based Innovia Films as the packaging material best suited to their sustainability objectives. Made from wood pulp sourced from sustainably managed forests, NatureFlex™ is comprised of greater than 90 percent renewable content based on ASTM D6866 and offers a wide range of end-of-life options—including home composting—that can help divert waste from landfills. The Lopatins worked closely with Innovia's North American technical service team based in Atlanta.

While much of the compostable packaging available today is only truly compostable in industrial settings optimized for rapid breakdown, the film used for Arbor Teas' new packaging can actually break down in a backyard compost setting. Because of greater variation in moisture and temperature, backyard composting environments have historically been incapable of breaking down so-called "compostable" packaging materials, such as corn-based plastic cups and take-out containers. However, the cellulose-based material in Arbor Teas' new packages requires a less optimized environment for biodegradation, representing a major advance in low-impact packaging.

Aligning sustainability goals and technical performance

Chris Mitchell, business manager for packaging and sustainable films for Innovia Films, worked closely with Arbor Teas and packaging converter The Revere Group in Seattle to help turn the company's sustainability vision into reality. Mitchell comments, "Jeremy and Aubrey were very well versed regarding the sustainability credentials of NatureFlex™ films, but they relied heavily on our technical expertise for determining the correct grades of film and the optimal construction of the pack to ensure freshness of the product and that the package met overall shelf life requirements."

NatureFlex™ NK offers the highest moisture barrier of any transparent bio-film on the market. The NatureFlex™ family of films can be used in mono-layered or multi-layered structures and offer many converter-friendly features such as inherent dead-fold and anti-static properties for enhanced machinability; high gloss and transparency; resistance to grease and oil, high barrier to gases, aromas, and mineral oils; and a wide heat-seal range. The films are also easily printable using traditional flexographic or rotogravure printing technologies.

Ben Alexander, account executive for The Revere Group, says that the most important factors for success when developing a package that meets all criteria for both sustainability and technical needs:

• Have an in-depth knowledge of the product that's being packaged;
• Stay focused on the customer's sustainability objectives;
• Work closely with the raw material suppliers (e.g., film) to ensure that technical objectives are met and any issues that arise are addressed.

Alexander concludes, "We worked side-by-side with Innovia's Technical Service team throughout the product development process, and this partnership was a vital component to the successful launch of the Arbor Teas compostable package."

NatureFlex™ film is certified to both the European (EN13432) and American (ASTM D6400) standards for compostable packaging, and to the OK Compost Home protocol for composting at ambient temperatures in backyard compost bins or heaps. NatureFlex™ breaks down in a home compost bin (or industrial compost environment) within a matter of weeks.

Improved sustainability on multiple fronts

Among the challenges Arbor Teas faced in developing the compostable package was in identifying a way to package nearly 100 varieties of tea—each available in a variety of sizes—without having to produce 100 different bags. The adhesives used on labels at the time presented problems with compostability and were therefore not a viable option. So, the team identified a solution using a band that is placed around the package with a label that can be removed. Arbor Teas customers were thrilled with the new package and the feedback has been very positive.

Aubrey Lopatin states, "People are intrigued because of our packaging, and it has definitely given us a competitive edge. We saw a spike in sales when we launched the new package, and we are continuing to see growth year over year. We have also made investments in the Arbor Teas Web site and brand identity and as a result, we grew 64 percent last year."

Not only are Arbor Tea's new packages fully compostable, they're also lighter than their predecessors. Overall, the company's latest shift in packaging materials reduced the weight of Arbor Teas' packaging by more than 60 percent. This translates to a meaningful reduction in the carbon footprint of Arbor Teas' operations. And, in response to customer requests, the new packaging accommodates more tea than ever before. On average, Arbor Teas packages contain 27 percent more tea than they did previously. The result: more tea, less packaging—a win-win situation for both the consumer and the brand owner, Arbor Teas. pP