Issue 06/2018

Application News
Clipper tea bags
renewably-sourced
Public outcry about and subsequent resistance to tea
bags made with polypropylene has compelled brand
owners to take action. The latest to do so is Clipper Teas,
the tea brand owned by natural and organic food company
Wessanen, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
The company announced in April of this year that it had
committed to use only fully biodegradable tea bags by
summer 2018.
It was a little later than that, but on October 20, the
company said it moved all production to ‘plastic-free,
unbleached and non GM (genetically modified) tea bags’,
adding: “And we won’t be going back!”
There will be a transition period of up to a few months
while retailers sell through current stock, said the
company as “we don’t believe in waste”.
According to Clipper, the polypropylene in the tea bag
paper originally served to heat seal the two layers of
the unbleached tea bag paper together. The company
has now developed an alternative tea bag paper, made
from natural, plant based materials – a blend of abaca
(a species of banana), plant cellulose fibres and a PLA
derived from non-GM plant material that helps hold the
paper together. In the past, while aware of the availability
of this plant-based option, Clipper had never used or
considered using PLA, as the corn used as feedstock in
the PLA made by one major manufacturer could be from
GM sources.
Since the official announcement, other producers have
also entered the market, offering PLA guaranteed to be
from a non-GM source and enabling Clipper to make the
switch to a 100% renewably-sourced tea bag paper. To let
consumers know about the change, an on-pack flash will
be rolling out on specific products from January 2019.
COMPEO
Leading compounding technology
for heat- and shear-sensitive plastics
(Photo: Wessanen)
Clipper is claimed to be the world’s largest buyer of
Fairtrade tea. It exports its products to over 50 countries
worldwide. Its parent company, Wessanen UK, is
CarbonNeutral certified. and either directly or through
its subsidiaries, accredited by or a member of a range of
industry bodies and associations including; the Fairtrade
Foundation; the Soil Association; the UK Tea & Infusions
Association, and the Organic Trade Board.MT
www.wessanen.com
Uniquely efficient. Incredibly versatile. Amazingly flexible.
With its new COMPEO Kneader series, BUSS continues
to offer continuous compounding solutions that set the
standard for heat- and shear-sensitive applications, in all
industries, including for biopolymers.
• Moderate, uniform shear rates
• Extremely low temperature profile
• Efficient injection of liquid components
• Precise temperature control
• High filler loadings
www.busscorp.com
bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/18] Vol. 13 37