Kraft / PLA compostable pouch

Small-batch coffee, tea and dry goods sold through a short supply chain.

A white kraft compostable pouch with a small green leaf print and no metallic layer.

Best for: Small-batch coffee, tea and dry goods sold and used quickly, through a short supply chain.
Structure: Kraft paper, PLA and cellulose laminate. No foil, no conventional polymer sealant.
Print methods: Flexo with water-based inks
Finishes: Matte only
After use: Compostable only where it's certified, and only in the kind of facility the certificate names. Most compostable coffee pouches are certified for industrial composting (EN 13432, TÜV OK compost INDUSTRIAL, BPI), not the garden heap. The zipper, valve, label and inks have to be covered by the certificate too.

How it's built

Outside to inside

Exploded view of a compostable pouch: white kraft over a plant-based film liner.

1Kraft paper (print face)
2Plant-based compostable film liner

Look and feel

Papery and matte, in natural or white kraft. No metal anywhere; the liner inside is clear to milky.

Printing on it

Digital, with inks approved for compostable packaging. The finish menu is short: usually no matte or gloss films on top.

Barrier and shelf life

Medium. More sensitive to heat and humidity than foil, so plan for a shorter shelf life and test with your own product.

Run sizes

Digitally printed pouches start around 500 per design. Plate-printed (rotogravure) pouches make sense from about 10,000 per design. Below 500, a stock bag with a printed or foil label is the cleaner route, and the label is where foil, letterpress and deboss actually work.

After use

Compostable only where it's certified, and only in the kind of facility the certificate names. Most compostable coffee pouches are certified for industrial composting (EN 13432, TÜV OK compost INDUSTRIAL, BPI), not the garden heap. The zipper, valve, label and inks have to be covered by the certificate too.