Valgroup, Dow, and the Circular Movement launch in Brazil the first coffee packaging designed for recycling

• Developed with Dow’s materials science and Valgroup’s production expertise, the structure is made of polyethylene and preserves the attributes and quality of coffee, facilitating recyclability.

• The Catarina Coffee & Love brand is the first to adopt the packaging, investing to lead the discussion on circular economy in the coffee segment.

Valgroup, in collaboration with Dow and the Circular Movement, announces the launch in Brazil of the first coffee packaging designed for recycling. Made from polyethylene (PE), the new packaging was designed for recyclability and represents a milestone in sustainable transformation of flexible packaging by presenting itself as an alternative to traditional multi-material structures, which present recycling challenges.

Without internal metallization layers, the innovation meets the strict technical requirements of coffee packaging while maintaining the product’s attributes and quality. Fully recyclable and aligned with the principles of circular economy, the solution is being adopted, in a pioneering way, by the specialty coffee brand Catarina Coffee & Love.

Through Pack Studios, a global packaging innovation center, Dow offered technical design expertise and technological advantages to accelerate development of the solution together with Valgroup. Using high-performance resins such as ELITE™ AT and INNATE™, the new format combines a functional barrier against moisture and oxygen, high mechanical strength and visual appeal, facilitating recyclability, without compromising performance. The simplified structure allows processing in existing polyethylene recycling chains, thus enabling better use of post-consumer material and higher value-added applications.

“This delivery represents a real-life example of how collaboration across the value chain can accelerate the circular economy,” highlights Leticia Vanzetto, Market Development Manager at Dow. “By replacing complex structures with innovative solutions, we maintain performance, meet the strict technical requirements of coffee packaging while promoting much more efficient recycling.”

“Catarina Coffee shows us that change depends on boldness and responsibility. The brand understood such challenge and opened the doors for us to put on the market what many large companies were more conservative about. This movement towards packaging that promotes recycling and is designed for circularity is essential for us to reduce the environmental impact of consumption.” João Alves, Innovation Manager at Valgroup.

Packaging also opens up a new level of communication with the consumer by clearly displaying the “packaging designed for recyclability” seal.

An essential part of this project is the role of Circular Movement, a reference in the circular economy in Latin America, which acted as a link between the partners Dow and Valgroup with Catarina Coffee & Love. This strategic connection brought together expertise and promoted alignment between innovation, sustainability, and purpose. The outcome? The first coffee packaging designed for recycling in Brazil. And this is just the beginning.

The Circular Movement acts as a catalyst for the transition to a circular economy in Latin America, acting as a collaborative ecosystem that drives real change through education. “We believe that innovation is only truly transformative when it arises from collaboration, and this project is a real-life example of that. The initiative demonstrates how different sectors can come together to create sustainable and affordable solutions. This packaging represents more than a technical advance: it is an invitation to rethink the life cycle of the products we consume,” says Vinicius Saraceni, officer of the Circular Movement.

Challenge is significant, especially in sectors such as coffee, which require complex packaging structures to guarantee product quality. According to estimates by the Brazilian Coffee Industry Association (Abic), around 3.3 billion packages of the product are produced each year in Brazil. Traditional packages are made with multilayer structures that combine plastic, paper and aluminum that offer excellent barriers but make recycling processes difficult.

This scenario reinforces the importance of expanding access to circular design solutions. Plastic, due to its versatility, lightness, and efficiency in protecting products, continues to be an essential material in various production chains. However, it is estimated that only about 10% of the 460 million tons produced annually are recycled. This highlights the need to accelerate the adoption of innovations that enable recyclable packaging at source, thereby driving the transition to a circular economy.

Executive Leticia Vanzetto, Market Development Manager for Packaging at Dow, believes that innovation has the potential to boost packaging recyclability across various segments and accelerate transition to a circular economy. “We want to inspire other segments to follow suit.” This technology is scalable and adaptable to different sectors, such as food, cosmetics, and cleaning. It is an innovation platform with the potential to redefine sustainability standards in the packaging industry, especially in the coffee segment, where it presents unprecedented innovation in Brazil,” she emphasizes.