We are committed to advance sustainable development inside and outside Ahlstrom-Munksjö.
It is ‘work in progress’ in many areas with a goal to make sure we leave a decent world to our children. Our most important social target is safety. We want our people to return home the same as they were coming to work.
Our economic impact reaches every continent in the world. Be it in sourcing raw materials, employing people or manufacturing and selling products. We are committed to doing all that responsibly, following our framework for ethics.
Every human activity has an impact on the environment. Knowing ours and reducing it in our operations and products forms the core of our sustainability activity. We think that making products that are truly needed by people; are ‘products with purpose’ has a better social justfication to use the planet’s limited resources. With that, we want to do more with less, reducing the negative footprint of our operations and maximizing the positive impacts of our products.
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Nowadays there is a lot of attention on plastics in packaging and the effects it has on the environment ultimately, our health.
The ‘Plastic Free’ movement is gaining traction with consumers as well as with retailers and even governments: it’s becoming important to be plastic free.
Countries and retailers are also reacting to this phenomenon:
The plastic waste generated by a used heat sealable tea bag is only a few grams of Polypropylene…a few grams that become thousands of tons when we take into account the billions of tea cups consumed every year. Consumers are increasingly aware about the presence of PP in their tea bags and of its environmental cost. This awareness is pushing the tea bag brands to rethink the whole value chain in terms of sustainability.
Reducing the waste is one of the challenges that Ahlstrom-Munksjö targeted in developing its new tea filter solutions: we look at recycling as a step forward and composting as a solution.
Tea bags should decompose after their utilization in order to feed our planet, not pollute it. That is why we started extensive research to create a media capable of running effectively on current tea bag machines and at the same time being compostable after its utilization.
The choice turned in favor of PLA (Poly Lactic Acid), a natural polymer made of sustainably grown cultures which is a ‘bio plastic’ and acts as the sealant in the heat seal tea bag material.
Ahlstrom-Munksjö offers materials that can replace the current heat sealable materials in the market. (see our products page to learn more)
Current filter solutions for heat sealable tea bags are mainly based on non-compostable materials made of cellulose and plastic which allows making the seal.
Ahlstrom-Munksjö is one of the first players to provide a filter based on PLA and capable to seal and be converted effectively. The result in the cup is delicious tea flavor with no bitter environmental after-taste.
PLA is a biopolymer derived completely from the sugars extracted from annually grown plants such as corn (maize). While the monomer precursor to PLA is currently extracted exclusively from corn, it can also be extracted from any starch-bearing agricultural products, including agricultural wastes and non-food plants.
Ahlstrom-Munksjö has been working with PLA since 2007 and invested in a PLA machine in 2008.
Ahlstrom-Munksjö is one of the first players to provide a filter based on PLA and capable to seal and be converted effectively. The result in the cup is delicious tea flavor with no bitter environmental after-taste.
Abaca, an important renewable and sustainable crop
Type: Banana shaped plant
Maturity: 18 – 24 months
Harvest: 3 times /yr
Fiber Yield: 600 – 1300 kg/ha
Fiber Length: 1.5 – 3.0 meters
Sources: Philippines
AHLSTROM-MUNKSJÖ IS COMMITTED TO SUSTAINABLE SOURCING OF ALL RAW MATERIALS INCLUDING ABACA AND HELPING ENSURE IT CONTINUES TO SUPPORT THE LIVELIHOOD OF THOUSANDS OF LOCAL FARMERS.
*Oil-based plastic. PLA is a bioplastic which is classified as plastic free