Sustainability at Roastar Pt. 3: Product Development

All worthy endeavors have to start somewhere. In 2021, our journey into sustainable product development began when we created a Sustainability Committee to better understand the environmental impact of our facility and products. This committee included a person from each department at Roastar.

To understand our product’s impact, we had to break down the many environmental factors for each material type, learn about material testing and certification needs, and unpack competitor product claims.

Through our discussions, we found that customers were searching for more sustainable packaging options. At the same time, our competitors were introducing new materials with vague environmental and disposal claims. Clearly, there was a need in the industry for guidance, education, and transparency.

This demand inspired us to set a goal of creating a sustainable option for each packaging type that we offer. To tackle this, we needed to learn sustainability best practices and understand each product’s impact, starting with material creation. It was also necessary to learn more about customer knowledge and behavior, material collection and reprocessing practices, and decomposition.

There are many components of a package, from material to features. For a bag to be considered sustainable, we have to consider not just the outer material but the barrier, valve, and zipper.

When developing a new product or changing a current one, we work with like-minded vendors to source materials that check all our boxes. Factors we consider include print quality, seal strength, oxygen and moisture barrier rates, shelf life, production performance, and the amount of production waste produced.

For sustainable products, it gets even more complex. We need to source materials and features that have been appropriately tested and certified, follow relevant testing and product guidelines, and can be disposed of through existing infrastructure. On top of that are evolving factors like plastic reduction laws that vary by state. Lastly, any sustainable product needs to meet industry and internal quality standards.

After we compile these features into a product we are proud to provide, we must then test the products as a full unit. Testing costs time and money, but to us, it’s a vital step that helps us verify claims like "curbside recyclable" or "industrially compostable," so we can prove that our products live up to their lower-impact promises. We ensure that our vendor substrates have been tested and that certifications are up to date.

Testing standards differ in the U.S. versus other countries. For example, TüV-Austria offers certification and a logo for backyard compostable products intended for sale in the UK. The U.S. uses different compostable processes and infrastructure, and therefore UK based testing standards for backyard compostable products are insufficient and not recognized by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), the Biodegradable Product Institute (BPI), or compost manufacturing facilities across the U.S.

These organizations are the most trusted sources for compostable product testing standards and certification in the United States.

Certified compostable products in the U.S. are industrially compostable, meaning they need to be dropped off at a facility that accepts bioplastic materials. ASTM has provided standards for testing products in the industrial compostable environment based on the material makeup of the product (ASTM 6400 or ASTM 6868).

Even if each component of the product is compostable, the entire package must be tested to become certified. We have partnered with UW-Stevens Point, an ASTM certified laboratory, to test how our compostable packaging degrades and whether it supports plant growth afterward. The first phase of testing went well, and now the products have moved on to the next phase.

Disintegration is the first of two testing stages in the ASTM D6868 testing process to prove the successful breakdown of the product material, structure, and features. Roastar’s compostable product samples are shown at the start of disintegration (left side) and at the final stage (right side). These samples are now in the second phase of testing: plant growth.

Recycling standards and testing are unregulated in the United States. To learn more about the recycling process and how to label our materials for proper disposal, we partnered with How2Recycle. This organization follows the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) guidelines, educates packaging providers on common recycling practices, and assists them in providing product labels for proper disposal.

After evaluating our recyclable products, Trex, one of the largest plastic buyers in the U.S., approved our product for drop-off at their PE collection locations nationwide. Trex uses recyclable plastics as a main component in their wood-alternative composite decking. This way, the packaging is recycled and gets a new life as a product that can last 25 years or more!

Learn more about Trex’s product process here.

Even when materials are certified correctly, accessibility to collection services for certain materials varies greatly by location, and requirements vary. Counties determine what facilities will accept for recycling, and states regulate emerging plastic reduction and recycling efforts.

Industrial compostable programs are more advanced in states like Washington, California, Maine, and Colorado but are far less accessible in most of the country. In contrast, recyclable products designed for store drop-off collection are more accessible since there are thousands of convenient drop-off bins located in grocery and retail stores nationwide.

Curbside recycling is considered one of the most accessible forms of collection, as millions of Americans participate in curbside programs. However, there are still challenges to overcome, such as educating residents on which products are accepted in their region. Dive deeper into these regional differences in our previous blog, here.

After taking in all this info, it became pretty clear to us that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to sustainable packaging. For a business to find the best sustainable choice for its brand, it must consider everything from budget to the collection infrastructure where the product will be sold.

To give our customers options, we’re proud to say that we have achieved our goal of creating a sustainable alternative for each packaging type, which gives our customers the ability to choose a packaging option that supports both their brand values and community sustainability. To learn more about our sustainable products, reach out to our customer service team, or visit our sustainability page on our website.

Even though we’ve reached that milestone, we’re not stopping there. We will continue to work on innovative solutions by staying informed on legislation, testing standards, and evolving customer needs. We’re also excited to be developing products that will set new standards in the industry while paving the way for a more sustainable future.