Important questions and answers
FAQs – SUN CIRCLE HOMEcap
SUN CIRCLE HOMEcap is a real global innovation: for the first time it has been possible to produce a coffee capsule with sunflower seeds and BioPBSTM in such a convincing quality and with such excellent environmental properties that it has achieved the coveted OK compost HOME certification.
As with any innovation, this raises a number of questions that we are happy to answer below:
No! The coffee capsule does not contain PLA compared to many other supposedly compostable capsules. PLA is still only industrially compostable. This means that composting requires at least 60°C over a period of several weeks. However, these temperatures do not occur in the soil. There is an extremely high risk that PLA will only be “decomposed” rather than “metabolicated.” Therefore, PLA can be expected to produce microplastics, which remain in the ground for many decades.
The entire capsule, including the sealing film, has received the “OK compost HOME” certificate, which is very rare for beverage capsules.
More than 98% of the other “bio-capsules” on the market have at most the “OK compost INDUSTRIAL” certificate.
Whether in the online shop or in the supermarket – look out for the “Ok-compost HOME” certificate on the packaging when buying your coffee capsules.
“OK compost INDUSTRIAL” means that a temperature of more than 50 ° C is used for composting, so additional energy is used.
“OK compost HOME” means that the raw material quickly decomposes already at significantly lower temperatures, e.g. prevail in the garden composter. Even in the winter period there is significant degradation. In addition, domestic composting means short distances, as the HOMEcap does not have to be disposed of with household waste. The nutrients in the coffee grounds are therefore retained in the material cycle, unlike, for example, when incinerated in a waste incineration plant.
The coffee capsule is made from SUN CIRCLE, a worldwide unique mix of raw materials made from the shells of the sunflower seeds, a mineral filler and BioPBSTM.
A study carried out by the nova institute * in 2019 compared the disposal properties of HOMEcap with capsules based on PP, aluminum and PLA. In addition to the expected, clear superiority in terms of home composting, the HOMEcap produced on the basis of SUN CIRCLE also performed well in industrial composting.
A study by the Witzenhausen Institute **, also carried out in 2019, revealed promising results: it confirms the very good degradation behavior of the HOMEcap under real degradation conditions in a composting plant. The remarkable aspect of it: in contrast to the PLA capsule, there was no discrepancy between the artificial laboratory situation and real industrial compostability with the HOMEcap.
*) A. Scharf, M. Carus: „HOMECap: Avoidance of waste through home composting, comparison of different disposal options for commercially available coffee capsules”, nova-institute, August 2019
**) M. Kern, L. Warning: Practical tests on the biological degradation of Golden Compound coffee capsules, Witzenhausen Institute, September 2019
Beim Kompostieren der Kapsel und des feuchten Kaffeesatzes entsteht Humus und Dünger, der Kaffeesatz enthält zudem wertvolle Pflanzennährstoffe wie Kalium, Phosphor und Stickstoff. So kann der entstandene Humus und Dünger eine Zweitnutzung im heimischen Garten finden. Die SUN CIRCLE HOMEcap ist somit wirklich ein Paradebeispiel für gelungene Kreislaufwirtschaft.
Yes, the SUN CIRCLE HOMEcap is biodegradable under real conditions such as home compost. Therefore, the certificate for home composting “ok compost HOME”, which is very rare for beverage capsules, was obtained from TÜV for it.
No high temperatures are required for degradation. Our home compostable capsule, only needs the natural outside temperatures as well as moisture, oxygen and the microorganisms that occur in the soil for biodegradation.
By entering the term “home compostable capsule” in the search mask in the respective shop. “Biodegradable” is usually not enough. Enlarge the picture of the coffee package in the online shop to check whether it is really a product that can be composted at home. Since the logo is valuable and increases the environmental image of the coffee supplier, the use of the logo is commonly very popular with them.
Die SUN CIRCLE HOMEcap ist als einzige Kapsel mit Sonnenblumenschalen gemäß “OK compostHOME” vom TÜV-Austria zertifiziert, der Code “S0464” auf dem Zertifizierungs-Logo verweist auf unser Unternehmen:
Sehen Sie daher beim Einkauf nach, ob Ihr gewähltes KapselProdukt wirklich mit dem oben stehenden Logo, einem echten Qualitätsmerkmal, ausgestattet ist.
As a raw material and product developer, we have of course no influence on the pricing and any promotions of coffee companies and retailers.
According to our observations, the retail price of a pack of 10 with SUN CIRCLE HOMEcaps is between 2.95 euros (e.g. “Käfer Delicup” in the online shop) and around 3.29 euros (e.g. as Compresso organic espresso from Amann Kaffee in the online shop). The retail price is therefore similar to, or slightly lower than Nespresso® capsules.
The SUN CIRCLE HOMEcap is fully compatible with all common Nespresso® machines for home use.
Nein, die SUN CIRCLE HOMEcap hinterlässt dauerhaft kein Mikroplastik in der Umwelt. Das hängt unter anderem damit zusammen, dass unsere Kaffeekapsel eine ganz spezielle Aroma-Barriere-Folie in Form eines Barriere-Vlieses hat, das ebenfalls biologisch abbaubar ist. Auch sie ist Teil des erfolgreichen Rohstoffmixes SunCircle.
Unsere SUN CIRCLE HOMEcap zersetzt sich je nach Bodenbeschaffenheit unterschiedlich schnell (Laut Norm zu 90% innerhalb von 6 Monaten, 100% binnen 12 Monaten). Auf dem Weg zum kompletten Zerfall entstehen immer kleiner werdende Bruchstücke der Kapsel, die immer weiter abgebaut werden. Im Vergleich zu Mikroplastik, welches über Jahrhunderte unverändert im Boden liegt, sind auch diese kleinsten Kapselpartikel nach wenigen Jahren komplett abgebaut und nicht mehr nachweisbar.
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