TC Transcontinental targets home and industrially compostable packaging across US
22 Apr 2021 | TC Transcontinental
TC Transcontinental scored a Gold Award for Sustainability in the 2021 Flexible Packaging Achievement Awards Competition for its fully compostable coffee pod lidding and mother bag films. Rebecca Casey, senior vice president of marketing and strategy, weighs in on the compostable films greenwashing debate. She also shares her company’s plans to introduce compostable potato chip bags to the US next year.
Hi, I'm Aish Leica reporting for Packaging Insights.
I discussed some of TC Transcontinental's latest developments in compostable packaging with their senior vice president of marketing and strategy, Rebecca Casey.
Great that you could join us, Rebecca.
Let's get right into it.
Can you share with us what exactly, TC Transcontinental's, compostable films are, are made of?
So the coffee podlitting and the mother bag films.
So, we actually work with a partner of ours called Futamara and use one of their products called Nature Flex, for one of our, film layers within our lamination.
And then the other technology is actually our own blown, sealant film that is industrial compostable that we blow in our own manufacturing facility, on our extrusion lines.
What are the film's end of life disposal if composting isn't available to end consumers?
These are all industrial compostable, so it depends on whether or not the consumer has industrial composting bins available for them.
We are working on home compostable structures for these type of applications, for the coffee applications themselves.
But at this point, it's very similar to the recycling facilities, or the recycling system.
If you don't have that system available for you, then the coffee pods, and the mother bag will go into landfill.
Mhm.
So, even more incentive for consumers to actually compost.
Yes, correct.
So, that's why we're moving towards the direction of home compostable, versus industrial compostable, because that opens it up for more of the consumers to be able to do that at home, if they don't have industrial compostable, units available to them from curbside.
Right.
What's your stance on the current greenwashing debate of compostable and biodegradable packaging?
We've heard, for example, from the Rethink Plastic Alliance, that compostable is a somewhat ambiguous term.
What's your stance?
So, biodegradable is really just one part of compostability.
So, in order for, an item to be considered industrial composting, it actually has to pass the ASTM 6400, testing protocol.
And biodegradability is just one of those.
It's actually four tests that you have to look at.
You have to look at the chemical characteristics of the film themselves.
And when we say that, it, it needs to be made up of products that are considered compostable, industrial compostable, it has to, It has to degrade, which biodegradable, which means the films have to break up within 84 days.
Biodegradation also means that that product eventually will become CO2 or water and a usable compost.
And then ecotoxicity, which means you have to take that compost that you produce, and a plant needs to grow at a 90% rate of its normal growth.
So, biodegradable is just one portion of that 4 tests that are required in, in order to pass ASTM 6400.
And can you share a bit on the R&D process of ensuring that your compostable films fulfill all of these criteria?
Yeah.
So, TC actually has just completed, their own advanced composting lab that we have in our Menasha facility, where we test all four of these ASTM, 6400 requirements.
And after that test is, those tests are completed, we actually submit it.
To, for BPI certification, which is the certifying body that allows us to put the correct labeling system on that particular package, so that it tells the consumer what to do with the package itself.
We do that ourselves with our films in advance, and then our customers have to do that as to make sure that their product is certified, for BPI.
And that's our governing governing body that does the certification in Europe for home compostable and for industrial composting.
A name people would recognize is, TUV.
That's the, that's the govern, that's the body that certifies it in Europe, typically.
And that's who we work with today on home composting.
That's where we get our certification for our new home composting films that we're working on, because BPI does not, we don't really have a testing protocol yet.
In the, in the states for home composting, so we go by the European testing requirements.
And what are your hopes perhaps for testing compostable films in the US?
For home composting or for industrial?
Let's hear your thoughts on both.
You know, I believe when you look at the direction companies are going, right, we've signed the Ellen MacArthur commitment to be 100% compostable, recyclable, or reusable, and also to use PCR in our products.
I think when, when you look at compostable, there's certain categories where compostable is a great fit versus choosing to use a recyclable package.
And when you talk about the impact food waste is having on the environment and greenhouse gasses, using a compostable package with products that are more perishable, like vegetables, like fruit, things that don't need, high, moisture barrier, would be better, like, for, I shouldn't say moisture barrier, oxygen barrier, for like snacks and dry goods is a good, good fit for a compostable products.
So, I think there's going to be a mix between whether you go with a recyclable structure or whether you go with a compostable structure.
And that's mainly with the product inside.
And in which situations is either recycled plastic or compostable packaging more cost or energy efficient than the other?
Hm.
So, compostable is definitely today more expensive than going with a recyclable structure.
And that is really because of the scale.
Like, compostable is not as scaled as what you could see with a polyethylene recyclable structure, for example.
And, maybe we conclude with, what , compostable films, or what packaging applications are you working with currently and developing currently, for, compostable films, so perhaps anything outside of, coffee packaging?
Yes, we actually, have done some compostable packaging today that's in the market for, snacks.
So we work closely with a, a partner of ours, BASF, and we launched a compostable peanut bag for the Kansas City Chiefs football team.
In closed loop environments like arenas, stadiums, universities, it's much easier to collect the industrial compostable products and make sure that it's actually composted.
When you start, inputting , in putting the need for the consumer behavior to change, that's where it gets a little bit more complex.
Very similar to what you said earlier.
Like, is the product actually being composted?
There's that consumer education that has To go into composting and which bin to put it in?
Does it go in the recycle bin?
Does it go in the composting bin?
With a closed-loop environment, those employees are trained on what products go where, and then we ensure that it's actually composted.
This particular package is for peanuts, where the, the fans throw the peanuts on the ground, and then they throw the bag on the ground.
So the cleanup crew will then sweep up both the bag and the peanuts, and then it'll go into industrial composting, where before they had to do separation, and the peanut bag itself would contaminate the industrial compostable facility.
That sounds really exciting.
I'm really curious to follow that, development.
So thank you so much for your time today, Rebecca.
Thank you.
Thanks so much for joining us in this video interview today.
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My name is Anish Leisha and I'm reporting for Packaging Insights.
