On the 2nd July 2020 we completed what is looking to be our final Biodegradable Tea Bag Paper test. The reason we suggest it is the ‘final’ test is because it has worked! The attached photos show a few of the tea bags we have made during this trial – if you compare them to the previous photos here – then you will clearly see that the new tea bag paper we have been sent by our supplier, Union Papertech, works very well and we have had no build up of the biodegradable glue that caused us such headaches in the last tests we did. Unless this paper proves to be unstable over prolonged periods of production, we will be offering a Biodegradable option for our tea bags. We have so far produced about 500,000 tea bags in this new material, and brew tests have also been positive, with the seals remaining strong during and after immersion in boiling water, and also after squeezing and compressing with a spoon whilst brewing.
The science behind our new Bio tea bag paper is the move from a non-recyclable hydrocarbon plastic based glue to a recyclable vegetable plastic based glue called PLA (Polylactic Acid), which is made from the starches found in corn. I’m also pleased to say that the materials used to make this PLA are non-GM, and that this is also certified independently by Eurofins laboratories.
The claims we can now make for this Tea Bag Paper are as follows:
- It is a 100% biodegradable heat-sealable paper which is made using wood pulps and vegetable starch based bioplastic as a sealing polymer.
- It is 100% biodegradable as it is made from biodegradable raw materials.
- It is compostable to EN13432 standard (the EU standard for industrially compostable materials), it will disintegrate in home compost and the residual bioplastic will biodegrade in time.
- The polymer used in this Biodegradable Tea Bag Paper is certified GM free by Eurofins.
- The tests we have done show that this tea bag paper retains its strength well whilst in the cup, and will not affect the flavour of our delicious teas.
- The paper is fully Halal and Kosher compliant, and will be added to our ethical certificates at the time of audit and renewal.
Although some environmental bodies define plastic as oil based, we are very wary of using the term ‘Plastic-free’ on our tea bags, as technically, the PLA used in this Bio Tea Bag Paper are still ‘bioplastics’, although derived from corn rather than from oil.
On another ‘Bio’ note, we have also just completed and dispatched our first order of fully recyclable outer bags to a customer in Wales, who supplies into the Public Sector. These bags will degrade naturally within 12 months of composting, and are now available to all customers who would like to purchase tea in 100% Bio bags. Again, we’d love to use the term ‘plastic free’, but are very wary of doing so, as these bags are (like our tea bag paper’s glue) made from bioplastics composed of fully recyclable raw plant materials. The cost of these bags is approximately 50% more than existing packaging, but we have been assured by our supplier that the price will reduce as popularity increases and demand rises. If you’d like a quotation on having tea packed into these 100% Biodegradable bags, then drop us a line and we’ll be pleased to discuss volumes and price on an individual basis.
