North Star Sustainable Coffee Packaging

North Star tasked us with designing a completely sustainable packaging solution for their coffee beans. Not only would this packaging have to suit shop shelves but also needed to be letterbox friendly, due to the increase in their subscription service.

North Star wanted to a) improve their customer experience and, more importantly, b) offer a completely sustainable disposal option. The solution was a UK first: 100% home compostable coffee packaging. Accompanying this packaging was also a brand refresh to aid North Star in clearly delivering a coherent social and ethical message.

The new packaging is the first 100% home compostable coffee packaging in the U.K. meaning it will degrade in around 6 months in a well managed home compost setup. The bags have the highest percentage of biobased material (cellulose, kraft paper and sugarcane with a compostable valve) of any on the market.

The printing techniques used create less waste and utilise compostable inks – the bags are printed using a flexographic technique that uses up to 30% less ink than other methods.
The label is made from 95% sugarcane and 5% hemp and linen with a compostable adhesive being suitable for home composting too.