Paptic Ltd is involved in innovation projects promoting circular packaging solutions. One recent project is a Finnish collaboration. The project developed a natural biocolorant from roasted coffee production side streams. This biocolorant was successfully used in flexographic printing on fibre-based Paptic® bags.
The project partners include Natural Indigo Finland, Tampere University of Applied Sciences, Meira Oy, and Cabassi Oy. They created a water-based ink using coffee waste as a biocolorant. This ink offers a renewable, natural alternative to synthetic pigments in packaging printing.
The printed bag features Paptic® as the fibre-based substrate, colored with ink derived from coffee side streams. This demonstrates a practical example of circular economy principles. The solution upcycles waste into value, replacing synthetic colorants with biobased pigments.
Pasi Ainasoja, CEO of Natural Indigo Finland, called it a true circular economy project. He highlighted the use of coffee waste, which was once considered waste, now turned into valuable product.
Heidi Päiväniemi, Sustainability Director at Meira Oy, emphasized the sustainable use of coffee raw material. She noted the collaboration’s cross-sector nature, involving a start-up, academia, and industry. The project creates new sustainable packaging options.
Dr. Kai Lankinen from Tampere University described the innovation as significant for the global packaging print sector. He noted the sector’s annual worth of hundreds of billions of euros. The project demonstrates how sustainable solutions can be integrated into large industries.
Esa Torniainen, Chief Strategy Officer at Paptic Ltd, highlighted the importance of collaboration. He said it combines sustainability, creativity, and practical application. The goal is to develop better packaging solutions beyond replacing plastic.
This project showcases how industry and academia can work together to create environmentally friendly innovations. It emphasizes repurposing waste materials and advancing circular economy practices. The approach could influence future sustainable packaging development worldwide.
