{ "id": "packaging", "url": "https://coffearium.org/entries/packaging/", "license": "CC-BY-4.0", "title": "Coffee packaging", "summary": "What packaging for roasted coffee has to do, how its materials trade barrier against recyclability, how packaging compares with wasted coffee in life-cycle studies, and the packaging and capsule rules in the EU and beyond.", "domain": "sustainability", "kind": "Concept", "stage": "roast", "topics": [ "sustainability", "equipment" ], "topicSections": { "sustainability": { "id": "packaging-and-wasted-coffee", "label": "Packaging and wasted coffee" } }, "lang": "en", "status": "verified", "reviewer": "Coffearium verification pass", "lastVerified": "2026-10-14T00:00:00.000Z", "updated": "2026-10-14T00:00:00.000Z", "added": "2026-10-14T00:00:00.000Z", "brief": [ "Packaging for roasted coffee keeps oxygen, moisture and light out and lets carbon dioxide escape, usually through a one-way valve.5", "In storage trials, bags and capsules with an aluminium layer kept coffee fresher than paper or plastic packaging without one.6,7", "According to a coffee science textbook, roasted coffee usually has a higher environmental impact than its packaging.6", "In a 2025 study, capsules and pads used 0.64–1.11 kg of packaging per kg of coffee, against 0.12 kg for a 250 g bag.11", "Under EU Regulation 2025/40, which applies from 12 August 2026, coffee pads and soft single-serve units must be compostable by 12 February 2028.1,2" ], "quickFacts": [ { "label": "Main jobs", "value": "Keep out oxygen, moisture and light; let carbon dioxide out; seal and carry information" }, { "label": "Common bag", "value": "Laminate of outer film, aluminium foil and inner sealing film, with a one-way valve" }, { "label": "EU law", "value": "Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (EU) 2025/40, in force 11 Feb 2025, applies from 12 Aug 2026" }, { "label": "Coffee pads (EU)", "value": "Compostable by 12 Feb 2028 (industrial composting)" }, { "label": "Capsules (EU)", "value": "Must be recyclable like all packaging; Member States may require compostable non-metal capsules" }, { "label": "Switzerland", "value": "New packaging ordinance adopted 24 Jun 2026, applies from the start of 2027" }, { "label": "Not legal advice", "value": "This entry describes what the texts say, as of October 2026" } ], "aka": [ "Coffee bags", "Packaging of roasted coffee" ], "linkTerms": [ "coffee packaging", "packaging waste", "PPWR", "Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation", "multilayer packaging", "high-barrier packaging", "coffee pad", "coffee pod" ], "related": [ "freshness-and-storage", "degassing", "carbon-footprint-of-coffee", "sustainability-claims", "capsules-and-the-environment", "sustainability-in-coffee", "roasting" ], "contested": [ "Single-serve versus brewing in bulk: per cup, capsules and pads carry far more packaging than coffee from a bag10,11, and a 2025 study found bag coffee less impactful per cup across its scores.11 Where filter coffee is made and not drunk, the comparison can change: a 2009 study assumed one third of drip coffee wasted9, and a literature review reports one study in which a capsule system matched a drip maker without waste or inefficiencies.13 The studies differ in functional unit (1 dl cup, 40 mL cup, 720 kg of coffee) and boundary, so their numbers cannot be set side by side.", "Compostable versus plastic pods: in a 2020 study, composting compostable pods gave the lowest impact in 7 of 10 categories, but their embodied energy was still 6.1% higher than that of the plastic pods, even in the best case.12" ], "corrections": [], "sources": [ { "id": "s1", "title": "Regulation (EU) 2025/40 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 December 2024 on packaging and packaging waste, amending Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 and Directive (EU) 2019/904, and repealing Directive 94/62/EC", "authors": "European Parliament; Council of the European Union", "year": 2025, "publisher": "Official Journal of the European Union, L series, 22.1.2025 (EUR-Lex)", "url": "https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=OJ%3AL_202500040", "tier": "A", "tierNote": "Official text; on two attempts (13 and 14 Oct 2026) only the recitals could be read from this environment, so the articles are cited through the Commission's guidance (source 2), which quotes them", "quote": "From 1 January 2038, packaging should be at least grade B in order to be placed on the market.", "accessed": "2026-10-14T00:00:00.000Z" }, { "id": "s2", "title": "Commission Notice – Guidance document for Regulation (EU) 2025/40 on packaging and packaging waste (C(2026) 3702 final)", "authors": "European Commission", "year": 2026, "publisher": "European Commission (EUR-Lex)", "url": "https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=PI_COM%3AC%282026%293702", "tier": "A", "tierNote": "A for what the Commission states; the notice is not binding, and the binding interpretation rests with the Court of Justice of the EU", "quote": "Therefore, pursuant to Article 9, such packaging must be designed for composting by 12 February 2028.", "accessed": "2026-10-14T00:00:00.000Z" }, { "id": "s3", "title": "Packaging waste (policy page)", "authors": "European Commission, Directorate-General for Environment", "year": 2026, "publisher": "European Commission", "url": "https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/waste-and-recycling/packaging-waste_en", "tier": "A", "quote": "is currently being examined by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union.", "accessed": "2026-10-14T00:00:00.000Z" }, { "id": "s4", "title": "Bio-based, biodegradable and compostable plastics (policy page)", "authors": "European Commission, Directorate-General for Environment", "publisher": "European Commission", "url": "https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/plastics/bio-based-biodegradable-and-compostable-plastics_de", "tier": "A", "quote": "regulates industrial compostability for specific packaging items (such as tea bags, coffee pods, and sticky labels on fruit)", "accessed": "2026-10-14T00:00:00.000Z" }, { "id": "s5", "title": "The Coffee Freshness Handbook (ISBN 978-0-9995807-2-1)", "authors": "Smrke, S.; Sage, E.; Wellinger, M.; Yeretzian, C.", "year": 2018, "publisher": "Specialty Coffee Association, Santa Ana", "url": "https://sca.coffee/store/p/the-coffee-freshness-handbook-ld8kh", "tier": "B", "quote": "Choose oxygen protective packaging, such as poly-foil valve bags.", "accessed": "2026-10-14T00:00:00.000Z" }, { "id": "s6", "title": "Protecting the Flavors – Freshness as a Key to Quality (chapter 14)", "authors": "Yeretzian, C.; Blank, I.; Wyser, Y.", "year": 2017, "publisher": "The Craft and Science of Coffee (ed. B. Folmer), Academic Press, 329–353", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-803520-7.00014-1", "doi": "10.1016/B978-0-12-803520-7.00014-1", "tier": "B", "quote": "It should be noted that it is well known that, in most cases, the R&G coffee has a higher overall environmental impact than its packaging.", "accessed": "2026-10-14T00:00:00.000Z" }, { "id": "s7", "title": "Freshness Indices of Roasted Coffee: Monitoring the Loss of Freshness for Single Serve Capsules and Roasted Whole Beans in Different Packaging", "authors": "Glöss, A. N.; Schönbächler, B.; Rast, M.; Deuber, L.; Yeretzian, C.", "year": 2014, "publisher": "Chimia 68(3), 179–182", "url": "https://chimia.ch/chimia/article/view/2014_179", "doi": "10.2533/chimia.2014.179", "tier": "A", "quote": "Packaging materials that contain an aluminum layer offer better protection.", "accessed": "2026-10-14T00:00:00.000Z" }, { "id": "s8", "title": "Recycling of Polymer-Based Multilayer Packaging: A Review", "authors": "Kaiser, K.; Schmid, M.; Schlummer, M.", "year": 2018, "publisher": "Recycling 3(1), 1", "url": "https://www.mdpi.com/2313-4321/3/1/1", "doi": "10.3390/recycling3010001", "tier": "A", "quote": "Oriented PET films provide an excellent surface for printing.", "accessed": "2026-10-14T00:00:00.000Z" }, { "id": "s9", "title": "Life cycle assessment of spray dried soluble coffee and comparison with alternatives (drip filter and capsule espresso)", "authors": "Humbert, S.; Loerincik, Y.; Rossi, V.; Margni, M.; Jolliet, O.", "year": 2009, "publisher": "Journal of Cleaner Production 17(15), 1351–1358", "url": "https://documents.epfl.ch/groups/m/me/mediacomfiles/www/Humbert%20et%20al%202009%20-%20LCA%20Coffee.pdf", "doi": "10.1016/j.jclepro.2009.04.011", "tier": "A", "quote": "More than half of the environmental impacts of spray dried soluble coffee occur at the use phase.", "accessed": "2026-10-14T00:00:00.000Z" }, { "id": "s10", "title": "Carbon footprint of different coffee brewing methods", "authors": "Cibelli, M.; Cimini, A.; Moresi, M.", "year": 2021, "publisher": "Chemical Engineering Transactions 87, 373–378", "url": "https://aidic.it/cet/21/87/063.pdf", "doi": "10.3303/CET2187063", "tier": "A", "quote": "The production of one 40-mL coffee cup with the induction Moka pot gave rise to as low as 8 g CO2e, these emissions being about 18% or 56% lower than those resulting from the use of a coffee capsule (10 g CO2e) or pod (18.5 g CO2e) coffee machine.", "accessed": "2026-10-14T00:00:00.000Z" }, { "id": "s11", "title": "Streamlined life cycle assessment of packaging waste in coffee preparation and consumption", "authors": "Moresi, M.; Cimini, A.", "year": 2025, "publisher": "Italian Journal of Food Science 37(4), 436–477", "url": "https://itjfs.com/index.php/ijfs/article/view/3256/1788", "doi": "10.15586/ijfs.v37i4.3256", "tier": "A", "quote": "Utilizing a functional unit of 720 kg of roasted and ground coffee (RGC), the environmental impact was assessed using the EU product environmental footprint (PEF) methodology.", "accessed": "2026-10-14T00:00:00.000Z" }, { "id": "s12", "title": "Life Cycle Assessment of Compostable Coffee Pods: A US University Based Case Study", "authors": "Kooduvalli, K.; Vaidya, U. K.; Ozcan, S.", "year": 2020, "publisher": "Scientific Reports 10, 9158", "url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7280196", "doi": "10.1038/s41598-020-65058-1", "tier": "A", "quote": "The functional unit is pod packaging that serves an 8 oz. (236.6 ml) serving of coffee", "accessed": "2026-10-14T00:00:00.000Z" }, { "id": "s13", "title": "Executive Summary: Environmental Footprint Literature Review – Coffee", "authors": "Center for Sustainable Systems, University of Michigan, for the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality", "publisher": "Oregon Department of Environmental Quality", "url": "https://www.oregon.gov/deq/FilterDocs/PEF-Coffee-ExecutiveSummary.pdf", "tier": "A", "tierNote": "A for what the review reports; the underlying study on capsules and drip makers is not named in the summary and was not opened", "quote": "When more coffee is made than is consumed, as is common with drip-brewed systems,", "accessed": "2026-10-14T00:00:00.000Z" }, { "id": "s14", "title": "Kaffeekapseln (Coffee capsules)", "authors": "Bundesamt für Umwelt (BAFU), Federal Office for the Environment", "year": 2025, "publisher": "Swiss Federal Administration (admin.ch)", "url": "https://www.bafu.admin.ch/de/kaffeekapseln", "tier": "A", "quote": "Die im Trend liegenden Kaffeekapseln werden von den Verkaufsstellen und vielen Gemeindesammelstellen zurückgenommen.", "accessed": "2026-10-14T00:00:00.000Z" }, { "id": "s15", "title": "Bundesrat stärkt Recycling bei Verpackungen und Abfällen (press release, 24 June 2026)", "authors": "Swiss Federal Council; Bundesamt für Umwelt (BAFU)", "year": 2026, "publisher": "Swiss Federal Administration (admin.ch)", "url": "https://www.bafu.admin.ch/de/newnsb/eE-NjVjEsGK1BJKzk1ITa", "tier": "A", "quote": "Die Verordnung über Getränkeverpackungen aus dem Jahr 2000 wird durch eine neue Verordnung für alle Verpackungen ersetzt.", "accessed": "2026-10-14T00:00:00.000Z" }, { "id": "s16", "title": "The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024 (SI 2024/1332)", "authors": "UK Government", "year": 2024, "publisher": "legislation.gov.uk", "url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2024/1332", "tier": "A", "quote": "These Regulations impose requirements on producers of packaging who are established in the United Kingdom.", "accessed": "2026-10-14T00:00:00.000Z" }, { "id": "s17", "title": "Extended producer responsibility for packaging: who is affected and what to do", "authors": "Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra)", "year": 2026, "publisher": "GOV.UK", "url": "https://www.gov.uk/guidance/extended-producer-responsibility-for-packaging-who-is-affected-and-what-to-do", "tier": "A", "quote": "easier to recycle", "accessed": "2026-10-14T00:00:00.000Z" }, { "id": "s18", "title": "16 CFR 260.12 – Recyclable claims (Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims)", "authors": "Federal Trade Commission", "publisher": "Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), US Government", "url": "https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-260/section-260.12", "tier": "A", "quote": "It is deceptive to misrepresent, directly or by implication, that a product or package is recyclable.", "accessed": "2026-10-14T00:00:00.000Z" }, { "id": "s19", "title": "Packaging Materials Management", "authors": "California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle)", "publisher": "CalRecycle, State of California", "url": "https://calrecycle.ca.gov/Packaging/", "tier": "A", "quote": "65% of all packaging actually recycled", "accessed": "2026-10-14T00:00:00.000Z" }, { "id": "s20", "title": "Public notice: SB 54 Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act permanent regulations – final OAL approval", "authors": "California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle)", "year": 2026, "publisher": "CalRecycle, State of California", "url": "https://www2.calrecycle.ca.gov/PublicNotices/Details/7127", "tier": "A", "quote": "These regulations became effective on May 1, 2026.", "accessed": "2026-10-14T00:00:00.000Z" }, { "id": "s21", "title": "The Government of Canada requires producers to take more responsibility for the plastic they put on the market (news release, 22 April 2024)", "authors": "Environment and Climate Change Canada", "year": 2024, "publisher": "Government of Canada (canada.ca)", "url": "https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/news/2024/04/the-government-of-canada-requires-producers-to-take-more-responsibility-for-the-plastic-they-put-on-the-market.html", "tier": "A", "quote": "report annually on the quantity and types of plastic they manufacture, import, and place on the market", "accessed": "2026-10-14T00:00:00.000Z" }, { "id": "s22", "title": "Federal Plastics Registry", "authors": "Environment and Climate Change Canada", "year": 2026, "publisher": "Government of Canada (canada.ca)", "url": "https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/managing-reducing-waste/reduce-plastic-waste/federal-plastics-registry.html", "tier": "A", "quote": "Reporting for Phases 2 and 3 of the Federal Plastics Registry has been postponed.", "accessed": "2026-10-14T00:00:00.000Z" }, { "id": "s23", "title": "Act on the Promotion of Sorted Collection and Recycling of Containers and Packaging (Act No. 112 of 1995), English translation", "authors": "Government of Japan", "publisher": "Japanese Law Translation, Ministry of Justice, Japan", "url": "https://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/en/laws/view/3828/en", "tier": "A", "tierNote": "Government translation for reference; only the Japanese text has legal effect", "quote": "The purpose of this Act is, by taking measures to promote reduction of waste containers and packaging discharged", "accessed": "2026-10-14T00:00:00.000Z" }, { "id": "s24", "title": "限制商品过度包装新国标9月实施——市场监管总局解读标准实施有关问题 (New national standard restricting excessive packaging applies from September – the State Administration for Market Regulation explains)", "authors": "State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), via Xinhua", "year": 2023, "publisher": "Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China (gov.cn)", "url": "https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/202309/content_6901640.htm", "tier": "A", "quote": "食品中的粮食及其加工品不应超过三层包装，其他食品和化妆品不应超过四层包装。", "accessed": "2026-10-14T00:00:00.000Z" }, { "id": "s25", "title": "Waste Disposal Act (廢棄物清理法), English text", "authors": "Ministry of Environment, Taiwan", "publisher": "Ministry of Environment Laws and Regulations Retrieving System (moenv.gov.tw)", "url": "https://oaout.moenv.gov.tw/Law/EngLawContent.aspx?lan=E&id=186", "tier": "A", "tierNote": "Government English text for reference; it shows amendments up to 14 Jun 2017, and only the Chinese text has legal effect", "quote": "these fees shall be used for the Resource Recycling Management Fund", "accessed": "2026-10-14T00:00:00.000Z" }, { "id": "s26", "title": "廢棄物清理法修正三讀通過 健全資源循環管理 強化環境正義防線 (Amendment of the Waste Disposal Act passed at third reading; press release, 16 June 2026)", "authors": "Ministry of Environment, Taiwan", "year": 2026, "publisher": "Ministry of Environment, Taiwan (moenv.gov.tw)", "url": "https://enews.moenv.gov.tw/page/3b3c62c78849f32f/976f269b-754a-41a4-8fc0-4479e03d7b66", "tier": "A", "quote": "未來將由製造、輸入及設置業者共同負擔回收、清除及處理責任，落實生產者延伸責任制度", "accessed": "2026-10-14T00:00:00.000Z" }, { "id": "s27", "title": "Act on the Promotion of Saving and Recycling of Resources (자원의 절약과 재활용촉진에 관한 법률), English translation", "authors": "Republic of Korea", "publisher": "Statutes of the Republic of Korea, Korea Legislation Research Institute (elaw.klri.re.kr)", "url": "https://elaw.klri.re.kr/eng_service/lawViewContent.do?hseq=33581", "tier": "A", "tierNote": "English translation for reference by a government-funded institute; it reflects Act No. 13036 of 20 Jan 2015, and only the Korean text has legal effect", "quote": "shall recover and recycle wastes generated from the products or packing materials", "accessed": "2026-10-14T00:00:00.000Z" }, { "id": "s28", "title": "Extended Producer Responsibility (core business page)", "authors": "Korea Environment Corporation (K-eco)", "publisher": "Korea Environment Corporation, a public agency under the Ministry of Environment", "url": "https://www.keco.or.kr/en/lay1/S295T386C400/contents.do", "tier": "A", "quote": "Ones who fail to follow this obligation are subject to recycling charges.", "accessed": "2026-10-14T00:00:00.000Z" } ], "markdown": "## What packaging has to do\n\nAccording to the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) freshness handbook, oxygen, temperature and moisture are the three main enemies of roasted coffee.5 Light exposure also affects how fast it stales.5 The handbook describes primary shelf life, the life in the closed pack, as strongly influenced by the barrier properties of the packaging material.5\n\nRoasted coffee also releases gas, mostly carbon dioxide. Sealed in an airtight bag without a valve, it inflates the bag, which can eventually burst.5 Bags for freshly roasted coffee are therefore commonly fitted with a one-way valve that lets gas out.5 According to the handbook, the released gas also pushes oxygen out of the bag, which slows oxidation.5 Roasters can also remove oxygen by nitrogen flushing, which replaces the air in the bag with nitrogen before sealing.5\n\nThere is no single best package. A 2017 coffee science textbook argues that packaging should match the expected time between roasting and drinking.6 Coffee drunk within one or two weeks may not need a high barrier, which often has a higher environmental impact.6 Coffee that travels through long supply chains to supermarkets needs much better barriers, which help keep it from being wasted.6 What happens inside the pack is covered in the freshness and degassing entries.\n\n## Materials and barriers\n\nMost coffee bags are laminates: several thin layers bonded together, each with its own job.8 In a review of multilayer packaging, the inner layer seals the pack. The outer layer resists abrasion, takes the print or adds a barrier.8 An oxygen barrier may come from a metal foil, a metallised layer or a barrier polymer such as ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH).8\n\nA 2014 study compared four packages for freshly roasted whole beans, stored at room temperature for about a year.5,7 Three were laminates with a one-way valve: polyethylene terephthalate (PET), aluminium and polyethylene (PE); paper, PE, thin aluminium and PE; and paper with PE but no aluminium.5 The fourth was a paper bag without a valve.5 Packaging with an aluminium layer kept the coffee fresher, measured by ratios of aroma compounds.5,7 According to the handbook, the differences between the paper and plastic packages grew clearer over the first weeks of storage.5 Cupping trials comparing paper and foil bags gave mixed results; the freshness entry describes them.\n\n
\n
\n
    \n
  1. Outer film. Resists abrasion and carries the print; oriented PET films give an excellent printing surface.8 In the laminate with thick aluminium tested in one study, the outer layer was PET.5
    2. \n
  2. Barrier layer. Aluminium foil here. Laminates with an aluminium layer kept whole beans fresher than paper or plastic film without it.5,7 A metallised layer or EVOH can also provide an oxygen barrier.8
    3. \n
  3. Adhesive layer. Joins materials that do not stick to each other, such as some barrier polymers and sealing films.8
    4. \n
  4. Inner sealing film. Seals the bag, at low temperature for fast packing lines; PE in the laminates tested.5,8
    5. \n
  5. One-way valve. Lets carbon dioxide out so that the bag does not burst.5 Some aroma compounds also leave through it.5
    6. \n
  6. Inside the bag. Gas released by the beans pushes oxygen out; nitrogen flushing removes it before sealing.5
    7. \n
\n
Wall of a coffee valve bag with its layers drawn apart, from the outside (top) to the coffee (bottom); oxygen, moisture and light are stopped at the foil. Schematic, not to scale.
\n
\n\n**Recycling.** The same layering that protects coffee makes the pack hard to recycle. According to the review, most multilayer packaging is incinerated or landfilled because of its poor recyclability.8 The review describes all-polyolefin and full-PE laminates designed as recyclable alternatives.8 It cautions that such a switch should only be made if the product is equally well protected.8\n\n**Compostable films.** The European Commission states that compostable plastics typically decompose in industrial composting facilities and first need to be collected.4 It recommends them where reducing, reusing or recycling is not possible.4 Industrial composting needs high temperatures and high humidity, so breakdown in a home compost heap risks being slower.1\n\n## Packaging and wasted coffee\n\nA pack can protect too little or too much; the textbook calls these under- and overpackaging.6 Under-packaging can lead to premature product loss; overpackaging to unnecessary, overengineered packaging.6 It also states that, in most cases, roasted and ground coffee has a higher overall environmental impact than its packaging.6\n\nThe carbon footprint entry explains how life-cycle assessments (LCAs) work, including functional units and system boundaries, and gives the share of packaging across studies. The studies below compare packaging with the coffee it holds:\n\n- **A 2009 study of a 1 dl (100 mL) cup made at home.** It compared soluble coffee, capsule espresso and drip filter coffee over their whole life cycle.9 For drip filter coffee it assumed that one third of the coffee made is wasted: 13.5 g of ground coffee per cup, including 33% losses.9 Packaging made up 10% of the impacts of soluble coffee.9 For capsule espresso, the packaging was energy-intensive and comparable in size to the use phase.9\n- **A literature review for the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.** It frames single-serve packaging as a trade-off against coffee made but not drunk, as is common with drip brewing.13 It reports one study in which a capsule system had essentially the same carbon footprint as a drip maker without waste or inefficiencies.13 It suggests that single-serve systems may be preferable where too much coffee is often made.13\n- **A 2021 study of a 40 mL cup.** It left out the coffee itself and counted packaging, transport, machine use and disposal.10 Of 10 g CO₂e (carbon dioxide equivalent) per capsule cup, 5.5 g came from the packaging. Of 18.5 g per pod cup, 9.5 g did.10 A moka pot came to 8 g.10\n- **A 2025 study of eight formats.** It assessed the use and disposal phases for 720 kg of roasted and ground coffee with the EU Product Environmental Footprint method.11 Coffee from multilayer bags scored significantly lower per cup than coffee balls, pads or polypropylene (PP) capsules.11\n\n
\n
\n
Packaging per kg of roasted and ground coffee for eight formats, in one 2025 study. It counts primary, secondary and tertiary packaging.11 PE-Al-PET: a laminate of polyethylene, aluminium and PET. PBS/PLA: two compostable polymers (polybutylene succinate, polylactic acid).
\n
\n\nTaken together, single-serve formats carry several times more packaging per kilogram of coffee than bags.11 Whether that gives them a larger total footprint depends on how much coffee and hot water other methods waste, and on what each study counts.9,13 No study opened for this entry measured how much roasted coffee is thrown away because its packaging failed.\n\n## Capsules and pods\n\nEU law treats coffee bags and single-serve units as packaging, because consumers throw them away with the used coffee.1,2 It separates two kinds.2 **Pads** (also called pods) are permeable, such as a sealed paper filter holding ground coffee.2,10 **Capsules** are non-permeable units made for a machine.2\n\n**Materials.** In a 2014 study, four capsule systems differed widely.6,7 Two had bodies and lids of PP and EVOH, with the barrier built in. One had a PP body without barrier and a paper lid with an aluminium coating, each capsule wrapped in aluminium. One had an aluminium body and an aluminium lid.6 Other studies examined capsules of PE-Al-PET laminate, polypropylene, compostable polymers and paper.10,11\n\n**Freshness.** In storage for up to a year, the all-aluminium capsule best preserved freshness.6,7 The two capsules without an aluminium layer preserved less.6 The ground coffee must also be degassed to the right point before sealing. Too little leaves pressure that can deform or burst a capsule; too much costs aroma.5\n\n**Compostable pods.** A 2020 study at a university in the United States compared compostable pods, mainly of polylactic acid (PLA), with pods of polypropylene.12 In an industrial-scale composting facility, the compostable pods degraded completely within 46 days.12 Composting them gave the lowest impacts in 7 of 10 categories. Their embodied energy, however, was 6.1% higher than that of the plastic pods.12 The study left out the coffee itself.12\n\n**Collection.** The Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN, German BAFU) states that shops and many municipal collection points take back coffee capsules.14 According to the FOEN, making packaging from recycled aluminium needs 95% less energy than making it from new material.14 No collection or recycling rates for capsules from a public authority were opened for this entry. The planned entry on capsules and the environment will cover them in more detail.\n\n## EU packaging rules (PPWR)\n\nThis entry describes what the legal texts and the Commission’s guidance say, as of October 2026. It is not legal advice.\n\nThe EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), Regulation (EU) 2025/40, dates from 19 December 2024.1 It entered into force on 11 February 2025 and applies from 12 August 2026.2,3 It replaces the 1994 Packaging Directive, which was generally repealed on 12 August 2026.3 The Commission’s guidance notice C(2026) 3702 is not binding; the binding interpretation of EU law rests with the Court of Justice of the EU.2\n\nThe rules that touch coffee most directly:\n\n- **Everything recyclable.** All packaging placed on the market must be recyclable.2 Detailed design-for-recycling criteria follow from 1 January 2030 at the earliest, and “recycled at scale” from 1 January 2035.2 Packaging will be graded A, B or C; below grade C it counts as technically non-recyclable.1 From 1 January 2038, it must reach at least grade B.1\n- **Pads.** Permeable coffee bags and soft single-serve units disposed of with the coffee must be designed for composting by 12 February 2028.2 The Commission reads this as covering any material, including paper.2 The Commission’s policy page describes it as industrial compostability.4\n- **Capsules.** Capsules fall under the general recyclability rules.2 Member States may instead require compostable capsules not made of metal, where suitable collection and treatment exist.2\n- **Food contact.** From 12 August 2026, food-contact packaging must not exceed limits for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).2\n- **Less and labelled.** Manufacturers and importers must keep packaging to a minimum by 1 January 2030.2 A harmonised label showing the material, to help consumers sort waste, follows from 12 August 2028 at the earliest.2\n\n
\n
\n
Dates of the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation that matter for coffee packaging, with the Swiss packaging ordinance for comparison, as of October 2026.1,2,3,15 “Earliest” marks dates that move later if the implementing or delegated acts come late.
\n
\n\nThe Commission’s policy page, consulted in October 2026, lists no postponement of these dates. A Commission proposal of December 2025 would suspend one obligation for producers selling into other Member States; as of October 2026 it was before the European Parliament and the Council.3 Words such as “recyclable” or “compostable” printed on a pack are also environmental claims; the sustainability claims entry covers the rules for them.\n\n## Switzerland\n\nThe PPWR covers all packaging placed on the EU market, whatever its material.2 For packaging from outside the EU, the importer is the person established in the EU who places it on the market.2 Coffee packed in Switzerland and sold in the EU is therefore covered by the EU rules there.2\n\nSwitzerland has its own rules. On 24 June 2026 the Federal Council adopted a new ordinance for all packaging, replacing the beverage-packaging ordinance of 2000.15 Its aims include better recyclability, more recycled content and avoiding unnecessary packaging.15 At least 55% of plastic packaging and 70% of beverage cartons must be recycled as material.15 Producers and retailers of single-use plastic packaging must offer customers separate collection.15 The ordinance applies from the start of 2027.15 The Federal Council’s announcement does not mention coffee capsules.15\n\n## Around the world\n\nSeveral markets make producers responsible for the packaging they put on the market (extended producer responsibility, EPR): they report it, and pay for or organise its collection and recycling.16,21 The table lists the main rule per market as of October 2026. None of the rules opened for it is written for coffee capsules or pads. It covers the EU, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States (federal and California), Canada, Japan, China, Taiwan and South Korea. Australia is not listed because its official text could not be opened for this entry; nothing is said about that market. Like the rest of this entry, the table describes the texts and is not legal advice.\n\n| Jurisdiction | Rule | What it requires | Since / status (as of October 2026) |\n|---|---|---|---|\n| EU | Regulation (EU) 2025/40 (PPWR)1 | See “EU packaging rules” above: recyclability for all packaging, compostable coffee pads, grades A–C1,2 | Applies from 12 Aug 20262,3 |\n| Switzerland | Packaging ordinance (Verpackungsverordnung, VerpV)15 | One ordinance for all packaging; material recycling of at least 55% for plastic packaging and 70% for beverage cartons; separate collection for single-use plastic packaging15 | Adopted 24 Jun 2026; applies from the start of 202715 |\n| United Kingdom | Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024, SI 2024/133216 | Producers established in the UK report packaging; large producers pay disposal fees, lower for packaging that is easier to recycle. Reporting from GBP 1 million turnover and more than 25 t of packaging16,17 | In force since 1 Jan 2025 in all four UK nations16 |\n| United States (federal) | FTC Green Guides, 16 CFR 260.1218 | Misrepresenting a package as recyclable is deceptive. Unqualified “recyclable” claims need recycling facilities available to at least 60% of consumers or communities where the item is sold18 | Current text in the eCFR (consulted October 2026)18 |\n| United States (California) | Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act (SB 54, Chapter 75, Statutes of 2022)19 | By 2032, according to CalRecycle: a 25% cut in packaging, all packaging recyclable or compostable, 65% actually recycled19 | Permanent regulations effective 1 May 202620 |\n| Canada | Federal Plastics Registry, notice under section 46 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 199921 | Producers of plastic packaging report the plastic they place on the market each year; provinces and territories run EPR programmes21,22 | Notice of 22 Apr 2024; reports from September 202521; phases 2 and 3 postponed (amending notice of 14 Mar 2026)22 |\n| Japan | Act on the Promotion of Sorted Collection and Recycling of Containers and Packaging, Act No. 112 of 199523 | Businesses that use specified containers and packaging for the goods they sell carry recycling obligations; certain small enterprises are excluded23 | Act of 16 Jun 1995; English translation reflects amendments up to Act No. 76 of 200623 |\n| China | National standard GB 23350-2021, Restricting excessive packaging – foods and cosmetics (限制商品过度包装要求 食品和化妆品)24 | Sales packaging of all foods: at most three layers for grain products and four for other foods, and limits on empty space24 | Applies since 1 Sep 202324 |\n| Taiwan | Waste Disposal Act (廢棄物清理法), Articles 15–1625 | Manufacturers and importers of announced articles and their packaging or containers are responsible for recycling them and pay recycling, clearance and disposal fees into the Resource Recycling Management Fund25 | English text as amended up to 14 Jun 201725; amendments passed on 16 Jun 2026 extend fee duties to new wastes such as renewable-energy equipment26 |\n| South Korea | Act on the Promotion of Saving and Recycling of Resources (자원의 절약과 재활용촉진에 관한 법률), Article 1627 | Producers and importers of designated products and packaging (paper packs, metal cans, glass bottles, synthetic resin) recycle a set amount, alone or through a producer responsibility organisation; those who fail pay recycling charges27,28 | Operated by the Korea Environment Corporation (consulted October 2026)28; English translation reflects Act No. 13036 of 20 Jan 201527 |\n\n\n\n## Barrier needs in detail\n\nPackaging can be specified from the coffee itself. The textbook describes how the rate at which roasted and ground coffee takes up oxygen lets engineers calculate the barrier needed for a target shelf life.6 Two studies it reports found oxygen consumption rates of the same order.6 The textbook expects specialty coffee, judged largely on freshness, to tolerate less oxygen uptake than mainstream coffee, so its barrier needs are even more demanding.6\n\nHeadspace and secondary packs matter too. In the capsule comparison, the capsule wrapped in a secondary aluminium pack had a larger headspace and so more residual oxygen after packing.6 It took an intermediate position for freshness.6\n\nPaper bags with a plastic liner are not oxygen barriers. The SCA handbook describes the Kraft bags used in its cupping trials as having a polypropylene liner that keeps coffee oils from wicking onto the paper but is not an effective barrier to oxygen.5 The foil bags in the same trials were a three-ply polyester and aluminium lamination, giving an oxygen and moisture barrier.5\n\n## Life-cycle studies compared\n\nStudies that compare coffee formats differ in what they count. The table gives each study’s functional unit and boundary, so their results are not compared across rows.\n\n| Study | Functional unit | What is counted | Formats | Packaging result |\n|---|---|---|---|---|\n| Humbert et al., 20099 | 1 dl cup, ready to drink at home | Full life cycle; drip filter coffee with one third wasted (13.5 g per cup including 33% losses) | Soluble, capsule espresso, drip filter | Packaging 10% of soluble coffee’s impacts; for capsules comparable to the use phase |\n| Cibelli et al., 202110 | 40 mL cup | Packaging, transport, machine use, disposal; coffee production, roasting and grinding left out | Moka pot, capsule, pod | Capsule: 5.5 of 10 g CO₂e; pod: 9.5 of 18.5 g CO₂e; moka pot 8 g CO₂e in total |\n| Moresi & Cimini, 202511 | 720 kg of roasted and ground coffee; results per cup | Use and disposal phases, EU Product Environmental Footprint method | Multilayer bag, pads, five capsule types, coffee balls | Single scores per cup: bag 613 ± 10 nPt; coffee balls 1,675 ± 25; PP capsules 2,777 ± 23; pads 2,895 ± 581 |\n| Kooduvalli et al., 202012 | Pod packaging for one 8 oz (236.6 mL) serving | Pod packaging only; coffee and machine use left out | PLA-based compostable pod, PP pod | Composting lowest in 7 of 10 categories; embodied energy +6.1% even in the best case |\n\nIn the 2021 study, the capsule was a PE-Al-PET laminate of 1.05 g with two aluminium lids of 0.110 g each, holding 5.75 g of coffee.10 The pod was a heat-sealable paper filter of 0.180 g holding 7.23 g of coffee, packed in a PE-Al-PET pouch of 1.51 g.10 In the 2025 study, a 250 g multilayer bag weighed 7.86 g.11\n\nThe 2009 study was not critically reviewed by an external panel.9 The 2025 study is described by its authors as a streamlined LCA of the use and disposal phases.11 Neither the 2021 nor the 2020 study counted the coffee, so neither can show how packaging compares with the coffee it protects.10,12\n\n## The PPWR provisions in detail\n\n**What counts as packaging.** Article 3(1), point (1)(f) covers a permeable tea, coffee or other beverage bag, or a soft single-serve unit, used and disposed of together with the product.2 Point (1)(g) covers a non-permeable single-serve unit for use in a machine, also disposed of with the product.2 The recitals explain this by how consumers dispose of tea and coffee bags and single-serve units.1\n\n**Recyclability (Article 6).** Article 6(1) requires all packaging to be recyclable and, in the Commission’s reading, applies from 12 August 2026.2 Until the design-for-recycling criteria apply, manufacturers follow the requirements and standards of the old directive, such as EN 13430:2004.2 Article 6(2)(a), design for recycling, applies from 1 January 2030 or 24 months after the delegated act enters into force, whichever is later.2 Article 6(2)(b), on collection, sorting and recycling at scale, applies from 1 January 2035; for recycling at scale, it applies five years after the implementing act if that is later.2 The recitals set out the grades: A, B or C from 2030, assessed on both criteria from 2035, and at least grade B from 1 January 2038.1\n\n**Compostability (Article 9).** The Commission reads Article 9(1) as material-neutral: permeable coffee bags and soft single-serve units of any material must be designed for composting by 12 February 2028.2 Under Article 9(2), by way of derogation from Article 6(1), Member States may require that capsules of material other than metal be compostable, if collection and treatment exist.2 Home composting is to be considered only under specific local conditions.2 The recitals state that all other packaging should go into material recycling without harming the recyclability of other waste streams.1,2\n\n**Other articles.** Article 5(5) sets PFAS limits for food-contact packaging from 12 August 2026: 25 ppb for any targeted PFAS, 250 ppb for their sum and 50 ppm total fluorine.2 Packaging placed on the market before that date may stay on the market.2 Article 10(1) requires minimisation by 1 January 2030.2 Article 12(1) requires a pictogram label on material composition from 12 August 2028, or 24 months after the implementing acts.2 Recycled-content targets for plastic packaging (Article 7) exempt, among others, plastic food-contact packaging where recycled content would threaten health.2\n\n## Open questions\n\n- How “recycled at scale” will be measured for capsules depends on implementing acts that, as of October 2026, have not been adopted.2\n- As of the Commission’s 2026 guidance, a harmonised EU standard for home composting was yet to be developed; the Commission was to request one from the European standardisation bodies.2\n- Whether recyclable mono-material films protect coffee as well as aluminium laminates over long supply chains: the review cautions that a switch must not reduce protection8, and the storage trials opened here tested laminates and paper, not mono-material films.7\n- How much roasted coffee is lost to staling in the supply chain and at home, which decides how much a better barrier is worth, is not established by the sources opened here.\n\n## Key studies\n\n
\n

Glöss et al., 2014 – Freshness indices. Stored whole beans in four bag types and coffee in four capsule systems for up to about a year, and followed ratios of aroma compounds. Packaging with an aluminium layer protected freshness better, and the all-aluminium capsule changed least.

\n

Chimia 68(3), 179–182 · doi:10.2533/chimia.2014.179

\n
\n\n
\n

Humbert et al., 2009 – Soluble, capsule and filter coffee. A full life-cycle study of a 1 dl cup made three ways. It assumed one third of drip filter coffee wasted and found capsule packaging comparable in size to the use phase.

\n

Journal of Cleaner Production 17(15), 1351–1358 · doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2009.04.011

\n
\n\n
\n

Cibelli et al., 2021 – Moka, capsule and pod. Compared the carbon footprint of a 40 mL cup made with an induction moka pot, a capsule machine and a pod machine, leaving out the coffee. Packaging was the largest part of the capsule and pod footprints.

\n

Chemical Engineering Transactions 87, 373–378 · doi:10.3303/CET2187063

\n
\n\n
\n

Moresi & Cimini, 2025 – Packaging waste of eight formats. A streamlined assessment of the use and disposal phases of coffee from bags, pads, five capsule types and coated coffee balls. Bag coffee had the lowest impact per cup; pads and capsules used 0.64–1.11 kg of packaging per kilogram of coffee, against about 0.12 kg for the bag.

\n

Italian Journal of Food Science 37(4), 436–477 · doi:10.15586/ijfs.v37i4.3256

\n
\n\n
\n

Kooduvalli et al., 2020 – Compostable pods. Compared PLA-based compostable pods with polypropylene pods at a US university, including a composting trial. The compostable pods broke down in 46 days and composting was best in most impact categories, but embodied energy rose.

\n

Scientific Reports 10, 9158 · doi:10.1038/s41598-020-65058-1

\n
" }