Exploring your options for compostable cold brew coffee packaging
Compostable cold brew coffee packaging helps coffee brands offer their consumers the sustainable, recyclable products that they have come to expect. Younger generations, especially Gen Z and millennials, regularly base their purchasing decisions on the ethical credentials of product packaging and are often willing to spend more in order to do so.
Cold brew is a prominent growth trend for the wider coffee industry, developing at a rate on par with or exceeding specialty coffee and ready-to-drink coffee. Businesses need to look to package their cold brew to the same standard as other popular options, like coffee beans or espresso capsules.
Luckily, compostability does not stop at coffee pods or grounds. Innovative, flexible, and sustainable packaging options exist for the cold coffee space, too: bag-in-box and pouches are two prime examples.
Whether you are responding to market trends by launching a new cold brew product or updating your existing packaging formats to ones more suited to modern consumer trends, there are several compostable cold brew coffee packaging options available.
What is driving sustained cold brew growth?
The global cold coffee market is expected to grow by 22% per year to 2027, reaching a forecasted value of over $1.4bn. While cold coffee popularity has, in the past, been more limited to regions with warmer climates or well-established ready-to-drink beverage markets like the United States, today, it is a truly global phenomenon.
Growth is driven by several factors. First, shoppers around the world are looking for more convenient and varied beverage options. Second, they are seeking out healthier versions of their favourite drinks. Third, they prefer sustainably packaged products that match their personal environmental and social responsibility values.
Cold brew is well suited to convenient packaging formats like cans, pouches or BiB because manufacturers can brew it in large batches with long shelf life, confirmed by a study by the University of Victoria in 2017:
“Cold brew concentrate has the potential for improved shelf life, better retention of secondary metabolites and volatiles, and can be brewed at volume.”
Consumers also widely perceive cold brew as a healthier alternative to traditional coffee drinks. Due to its unique brewing method, cold brew tends to be naturally sweeter and less acidic, hence more palatable, without additives like sugar, sweetener, or dairy.
BiB, pouches, or aluminium cans – among the most common compostable cold brew coffee packaging formats for cold brew – are highly recyclable and sustainable and also offer coffee brands immense branding opportunities to help catch the attention of younger consumers.
With this strong combination of convenience, wellness, sustainability, and brand appeal, cold brew is set to continue exhibiting strong growth.
The importance of sustainable and compostable cold brew coffee packaging
A 2024 study in the Journal of Economic and Social Research explored the impact of green packaging on consumer behaviour, concluding that “growing consumer interest in sustainability and environmental responsibility has made green packaging an important factor to take into account when choosing what to buy.”
“Understanding how green packaging affects consumer attitudes, perceptions, and behaviour can help businesses develop effective strategies to meet the evolving demands of environmentally conscious consumers.
“On the basis of the findings, it was recommended that businesses should design their product packaging with consumers sensitive to the environment in mind. Firms should create product packaging that can easily decompose to lessen the environmental harm that packaging does.
“Firms should plan their manufacturing procedures to provide ecologically friendly products in sustainable packaging.”
This approach has already been widely adopted in the coffee industry – compostable coffee cups, paper straws, and biodegradable espresso capsules are all relevant examples of the sector responding to consumer sustainability expectations.
100% recyclable or compostable cold brew coffee packaging options, such as pouches or bag-in-box cold brew, serve the same purpose for the cold coffee segment, helping businesses boost their own sustainability credentials and satisfy more customers.
The different options for compostable cold brew coffee packaging
While glass bottles are commonly used for both at-home and on-site consumption of cold brew, newer, more environmentally friendly and efficient alternatives have reached the market, presenting a raft of sustainable options to companies producing or selling cold brew.
For sustainable multi-serve cold brew in larger quantities (up to 20 litres) – for at-home or workplace consumption – bag-in-box cold brew is an excellent choice. It consists of an outer cardboard box and an internal aseptic plastic bag with a dispensing tap.
The corrugated kraft paper cardboard outer box is protective and insulating, lending to increased cold brew quality. It is also fully recyclable, renewable, biodegradable, and compostable. The user can simply recycle according to local regulations.
Both the internal bag and screw caps are produced from recyclable plastics and can be separated manually from the cardboard box following consumption. Moreover, the ergonomic design ensures complete usage of liquid, reducing waste and ensuring the recycling process can be properly conducted.
For smaller cold brew servings – 185ml to 3 litres – cold brew pouches are an equally eco-friendly option for compostable cold brew coffee packaging. Compared to glass, pouches have a reduced carbon footprint of up to 80%.
Cold brew pouches can be manufactured with low-density polyethene (LPDE) plastic and polylactic acid (PLA) derived from organic and renewable resources, ensuring comprehensive recyclability and compostability in as little as 90 days.
Moreover, as a flexible packaging solution, cold brew pouches are more efficiently transported and minimise ‘dead space’ through the logistics chain – the space required for one glass bottle can accommodate up to ten cold brew pouches.
At Cold Brew Pak, we understand what your packaging says about your brand. We offer our clients certified compostable cold brew coffee packaging options that boast immense customisation options to make sure your products stand out on the shelf.
If you’d like to learn more about Cold Brew Pak’s compostable cold brew coffee packaging options, contact our team here.
Compostable cold brew coffee packaging
