Traditional Medicinals, a leading American botanical wellness company with over 60 high-quality teas, tablets and capsules, announced its new compostable, plastic-free tea wrapper, the first ever compostable tea wrapper to receive a Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) certification.
After more than ten years of development in partnership with ProAmpac, the global leader in flexible packaging solutions, Traditional Medicinals will transition to these BPI-certified wrappers starting with ten organic teas in 2023. With growing sentiment towards environmentally sustainable practises and sustainability, the new tea wrapper is aligned with consumer demand for brands to create innovative solutions to lessen the world’s carbon footprint.
The new compostable tea wrapper is designed to keep teas fresh, adhere to strict quality standards, and ensure the herbs maintain efficacy. This unique packaging eliminates reliance on non-renewable fossil fuels and is made from BPI-certified compostable materials.
The compostable wrapper contains a thin metallised barrier layer, commonly found in snack food packaging, that protects the quality and freshness of Traditional Medicinals herbs. These materials are food-grade quality, BPI-certified, and fully compostable.
The packaging meets BPI’s strict biodegradability, compostability, and eco-friendliness standards. This means that the biodegradable packaging would need to be able to break down and return to the earth while leaving no harmful residues behind. The transition to this wrapper will reduce single-use plastic waste from the company's entire product line by 70 to 90 percent within three years. It will reduce landfill waste if disposed of in proper industrial composting facilities.
"As the global plastic problem continues to grow, we know there is an opportunity to make an impact on improving sustainability in the packaging industry," said Taylor Clayton, Sustainability Impact Manager at Traditional Medicinals.
The breakthrough follows after nearly ten years of research, development, and rigorous testing in partnership with ProAmpac.
"Packaging waste is a significant issue, and brands must take responsibility to reduce their environmental impact and educate their consumers on how to do the same. Every innovation brings us one step closer to a more regenerative economy. Traditional Medicinals is leading the way in demonstrating that sustainability and product excellence can go hand in hand,” said Jake Hebert, Director of One Step Closer (OSC), Packaging Collaborative.
Industrial composting infrastructure is quickly growing as composting is invested in and utilised, waste is reduced, valuable soil is created, resources are conserved, and progress towards a more circular economy is made.
Traditional Medicinals stated that investing in the development of sustainable packaging will propel the packaging industry to further research and innovate in improved sustainable packaging that will drive the composting movement forward and advance the industry overall.
"Developing and launching the pioneering BPI-certified compostable tea overwrap is a significant step forward for the sustainable packaging industry," said Ray Recchia, Innovation Manager, Sustainable Paper Packaging at ProAmpac.
Traditional Medicinals will transition to its BPI-certified compostable tea wrapper starting in April 2023. Products include Raspberry Leaf, Dandelion Leaf with Root, Nettle Leaf, Licorice Root, Turmeric with Meadowsweet and Ginger, Hibiscus, Reishi Mushroom with Rooibos and Orange Peel, Lemon Ginger, Ginger Aid, and Ginger.
