On June 13, Ahlstrom-Munksjö’s Fiber+ plastic free tea bag material was awarded the “New Product Innovation showcase award” for sustainable packaging at the World Tea Expo in Las Vegas, NV.

Fiber+ is part of a full range of beverage solutions including groundbreaking BioWeb, a plastic-free product range for tea and coffee applications.

Stuart Nixon, VP of the Beverage and Casing business says: “Current filter solutions for heat sealable tea bags are mainly based on non-compostable materials made of cellulose and fossil based plastic. Ahlstrom-Munksjö is one of the first players to provide a compostable filter capable to seal and be converted effectively. I’m delighted to receive this recognition from the industry as we believe sustainable materials are our future”.

As part of the company’s focus on sustainability, the new ‘Fiber+’ product range offers a plastic free, certified compostable version of traditional heat sealable materials combining high performance with special focus on reducing the environmental impact at end of life.

The Fiber+ technology consists in replacing the fossil based plastic with PLA, a material that has comparable properties but is renewable, biodegradable and compostable after use.

These filters have been specifically designed to perform at the same high level as traditional heat-seal material but with the advantage of meeting regulatory compostability requirements of both the European and American agencies.

In terms of environmental credentials, Fiber+ is certified compostable by TUV Austria with the OK Compost Industrial label. A consumer can responsibly dispose of Fiber+ teabags in their local council food bin or organic waste collection.