NEW BAGS, NEW LOOK, NEW MATERIAL.

At Coaltown, sustainability has always been at the heart of what we do. As part of our ongoing journey as a BCorp company, we’ve made the decision to switch to fully recyclable bags for all of our coffee. But why this change and why now? In this article, we’ll walk you through the reasons behind the shift and what it means for our customers and the environment.

We initially used compostable bags for our coffee packaging, believing they were a more eco-friendly choice. However, we quickly realised that compostable bags aren’t always as easy to dispose of as we thought—especially in the UK. There are very few accessible sites where both we and our customers can properly dispose of compostable bags, which then often end up in general waste. This wasn’t aligning with our mission as a B Corp-certified company, striving to make a positive impact on the planet.

So, why recyclable? Recyclable packaging can be collected and reused, sometimes as an entirely new product. Common items like glass bottles and jars often make it back onto store shelves just weeks after being recycled. This closed-loop process is more effective and sustainable compared to compostable materials, which often require special conditions to break down properly—conditions that are typically not available in most households. If compostable plastics get mixed with regular recycling, it can contaminate the entire batch, making recycling efforts less effective.

Another key reason we’ve switched to recyclable bags is to ensure that the sustainability of our coffee is maintained throughout its journey. As soon as coffee is roasted, it begins to degrade, losing its aroma and flavour compounds. This process, known as staling, is accelerated by temperature, humidity and exposure to oxygen. When coffee is ground, this process speeds up even more, which is why we’ve invested in resealable and recyclable bags.

The resealable design on our new 200g and 5kg bags allow our customers to easily close the bag after opening, creating an airtight seal that keeps coffee fresher for longer. We have maintained the one-way degassing valves in these bags. These valves allow carbon dioxide (CO2) to escape but prevent oxygen from entering, reducing the risk of oxidation and maintaining the coffee’s delicate flavours. This means when you open a bag of Coaltown coffee, you’ll be greeted with that fresh, recognisable aroma—every time.

Our resealable bags are not only good for the coffee, but they also help reduce waste. By using high-quality recyclable materials, we ensure that the packaging is both sustainable and reusable, giving our customers the option to use the bags for other items once the coffee is gone.

We’ve also made packaging changes to help streamline our dispatching process and reduce unnecessary waste. For our 200g bags, we’ve made them envelope postal, meaning they’re designed to fit through your letterbox without the need for extra packaging like honeycomb paper wrap or padding. This not only reduces carbon emissions by eliminating the need for multiple delivery attempts but it also reduces the environmental impact of shipping. By making our 200g bags more efficient to deliver, we’re able to get your coffee to you quickly and with a smaller environmental footprint—perfect for an easy purchase that arrives right through your door.

For our wholesale customers, we’ve been using 10kg reusable tubs for over a year now with our local delivery run customers. Wholesale Partners can select any of our house coffees in these tubs and when we deliver a new order, we collect the old tub, wash it and then refill it when ordered. This process has already saved us over 10,000 individual 1kg bags of packaging, which equates to a massive 41,534 grams of waste that hasn’t ended up in landfills.

We recently calculated that The Secret Beach Bar & Kitchen, one of our fantastic wholesale customers in Swansea, have purchased nearly 300 of our 10kg tubs of coffee. This remarkable choice has saved almost 3,000 individual 1kg bags from being used, significantly reducing packaging waste! This is an extraordinary achievement and it showcases the incredible impact of partners like The Secret Swansea, who are committed to reducing waste and embracing sustainable practices. Their dedication to making thoughtful choices aligns perfectly with our shared vision.

Here is what Ollie their General Manager had to say: "It's brilliant to work alongside like-minded suppliers such as Coaltown who want to innovate when it comes to high volume businesses. It's also way more convenient for us from an execution perspective. I've always been a big believer in 'imperfect sustainability' (as in, it's better to try and make small changes rather than just do nothing) and this is a key example, alongside us switching to milk pergals rather than bottles." We are so grateful for all our local delivery Wholesale Partners who have opted for 10kg tubs, we hope their contribution inspires others to follow suite.

It’s this same sustainable mindset that inspired us to introduce our new resealable 5kg whole bean bags. These bags offer our customers the option to purchase a larger quantity of coffee, reducing packaging waste further. Not only are they resealable, reusable and recyclable but they also help reduce the time and resources our production team spends on manufacturing and packing smaller bags. We are constantly striving to optimise our production line, making it more efficient, while embracing lean principles to deliver our products at the highest of quality.

This shift to recyclable packaging is part of our ongoing commitment to sustainability. We’ve decided to fully partner with MTPak across all our bag lines now, a company that produces eco-friendly, fully recyclable coffee bags made from Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE). Many coffee companies are making the switch to LDPE because it’s a highly recyclable material, which can be reused repeatedly without losing quality. This is a big step forward in reducing the coffee industry’s reliance on single-use plastics and we’re proud to be part of this positive change.

At Coaltown Coffee, sustainability isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a core part of our values. By switching to recyclable, resealable coffee bags, we’re not only protecting the freshness of our coffee but also taking an important step towards reducing our environmental impact. Whether you’re a retail or wholesale customer, we hope you’ll join us in making greener choices for the future. By working together, we can reduce waste, cut down on carbon emissions and ensure that our coffee is enjoyed in the most sustainable way possible. Here’s to a greener, more sustainable future—one bag of coffee at a time!