Flora: compostable empty coffee pods compatible with NESPRESSO® machines

Guala Dispensing Food division introduces Flora, our innovative range of compostable capsules for both coffee and solubles.

Our empty pods are compatible with all NESPRESSO®  machines and are certified to dissolve within 90 days in industrial compostable conditions and 180 days in home compostable environments.

As a coffee roaster or filler, you're likely aware of the growing consumer demand for more sustainable and circular solutions throughout a product's lifecycle. Managing the end-of-life stage for both products and packaging is now a key factor driving design choices and a significant technical challenge for capsule suppliers. This trend is not only evident in customer requests but is also reflected in the evolving legislation across various regions.

In today’s market, where packaging use is expanding across sectors, it is increasingly seen as integral to the product it contains, protects, and facilitates. This connection underscores the importance of sustainable coffee capsules.

Biodegradable solutions for both industrial and home composting

The Guala Dispensing Food Division is committed to ambitious goals in producing coffee capsules made from compostable materials. This effort aligns with our mission to enhance product circularity throughout all life cycle phases.

Compostable materials simplify waste management for consumers by allowing them to dispose of product and packaging together in biodegradable waste bins, eliminating the need for separation. This approach not only simplifies waste management for end consumers, but also helps avoid contamination of the plastic recycling stream with biodegradable residues, ensuring higher quality recycled materials.

By directing compostable plastic packaging and its contents to composting - whether industrial or home-based - the materials can be transformed into compost, suitable for various applications. The specific requirements of industrial and home composting processes—such as cycle times, pressures, temperatures, and humidity levels—are all considered in our product designs.

Our new range of compostable capsules, Flora, includes a specific line of home compostable empty pods, called Flora Home. This line is thoughtfully designed to align with the significant growth trends in the home composting market, offering an eco-friendly solution tailored to meet the needs of environmentally conscious consumers.

Guala Dispensing Commitment to Sustainability

As a leading pod supplier in the international market, Guala Dispensing Food Division has undertaken several initiatives and we can now say that more than 80% of our capsules formats can provide a compostable solution.

- Portfolio Expansion and Product Improvement: we've enhanced our range of eco-friendly capsules, focusing on design elements like geometry and thickness. These factors are crucial for both product quality and performance during use, as well as for ensuring the capsule breaks down effectively during composting.

-  Material Innovation: we continuously explore new materials and suppliers for capsule bodies and complementary components, striving to improve our products' sustainability.

- Certifications: we're expanding our certifications for both industrial and home composting to ensure our products meet the highest standards, including the Ok compost certificate.

-  Investment in Technology: we're investing in advanced production equipment to support our commitment to sustainable innovation.

Download our 2023 Sustainability Report to know more.

Explore Flora, our range of compostable capsules compatible with NESPRESSO® 

Our Flora capsules are biodegradable and designed for compatibility with NESPRESSO® coffee machines, making them ideal not only for grounded coffee, but also for a variety of solubles, including tea and infusions.

-  Ok compost certificate released by TÜV Austria

- Dissolves within 90 days in industrial composting conditions and 180 days in home composting.

- High degree of compatibility with standard needle coffee machines

- Patented Sealing Ring: ensures secure positioning and sealing within the brewing chamber, preventing leaks.

- Packaging: available in pallets of 60,000 pieces, with 2,500 pieces per box.

Home Composting coffee pods? Flora Home is the solution.

The growing demand for innovative sustainable solutions in waste management and the significant rise in home composting practices worldwide have inspired Guala Dispensing to address this evolving market. Recognizing the distinct conditions of home composting compared to industrial one, we have developed a dedicated line of home compostable empty pods, recommended for ground coffee: Flora Home. This line has been carefully designed to ensure optimal performance and decomposition in home composting environments, offering a practical and sustainable solution that meets the expectations of environmentally conscious users.

- Dissolves within 180 days in home composting conditions.

- TÜV Certified under the OK compost HOME scheme.

- Available in a broad selection of colors to align with your brand identity, including gentle pastel hues, perfect to emphasize sustainability and eco-friendly values

- Customizable side featuring your logo, with options for glossy text on a matte capsule surface or vice versa, creating a sophisticated and distinctive branding effect 

- Patented sealing ring secures the correct positioning inside the brewing chamber and prevents from leaking

- Film perforation: safer and less damaging than capsule body perforation, which over time could harm the needles

- 6-hole water distribution system: ensures better utilization of coffee grounds, resulting in optimal extraction

Weight:  1.95 g

Internal Volume: 12.6 cc

Our R&D department has met all requirements to achieve TÜV Home Compost certification, ensuring decomposition in 180 days without releasing any potentially harmful substances into the environment. After 180 days, the capsules transform into stable compost that's perfect for garden and vegetable patches, with over 90% of the original material decomposed as verified by TÜV laboratory testing.

Flora Home capsules can be disposed of in home compost bins, eliminating the need for industrial treatment facilities where higher temperatures are used to accelerate decomposition. The composting process continues naturally, developing into fully mature, odorless compost within 12 months, suitable even for potted plants.

Guala Dispensing Food strongly recommends consulting your local and national regulations, as they provide essential guidelines for proper home composting procedures. These regulations outline specific requirements that ensure successful composting and environmental compliance.

Ground coffee? Choose Flora Goccia eco-friendly pods

Our Flora Goccia capsules, dissolving in 90 days in industrial composting, are recommended for ground coffee, and available in various colours.

Weight: 2.8 g

Internal Volume: 12.8 cc

For coffee, infusions and tea, try Flora 6 capsules

Flora 6 capsules for industrial composting are naturally coloured, and designed for coffee and other solubles, offering the following additional features:

- Unique patented technology: one click opening system, gentler and less invasive than needle perforation, which over time risks damaging the needles themselves

- Innovative Design: our original opening system makes extraction easier and reduces the opening force 

- Optimised for use with flowpack

Weight: 2.6 g

Internal Volume: 12.4 cc

If you’re looking to package your coffee, infusions, or teas using our Flora compostable pods click here and contact us  to learn more.