Discover how Jet Technologies, a family-owned company in Australia, is driving sustainable practices in the coffee industry. With a focus on eco-friendly packaging materials, Jet Technologies supports roasters in meeting the 2025 targets of the Australian Packaging Covenant, leading the way towards a circular economy.
For years now, roasters and café owners across the country have reassessed the environmental impacts of their processes and products. For many, this has involved buying organic coffee, changing paper cup manufacturer, or collecting leftover coffee grounds for composting. But what about the packaging materials used to sell wholesale bags of beans?
“Sustainability is something we’re very passionate about. It’s our mission to ensure our clients don’t compromise on quality or productivity when adopting more sustainable packaging materials. We want to bring the world’s best packaging innovations in a convenient manner to their doorstep,” says Daniel Malki, General Manager of Jet Technologies.
Jet Technologies’ Managing Director Albert Malki founded the company in 1980. It remains a family-owned Australian company that services the coffee sector with packaging materials and related filling machinery.
“We pride ourselves on our strong family-based values, which we translate to our staff and our culture; investing in our staff to build long-lasting relationships with our customers, and striving to deliver genuine and expert service at all times,” says Daniel.
“Jet Technologies has grown and diversified significantly, now employing over 50 staff and operating from locations across Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, and Singapore. We work with many big coffee brands such as Grinders Coffee, JDE, Toby’s Estate, Seven Miles, Campos, ST. ALi, and others. Some of our customers have bought machinery from us to form, fill and seal their coffee bags. To others we supply flexible packaging, either in a roll form or premade bag. Many of our clients have purchased both machinery and packaging options, and we take responsibility for the complete line in those cases.”
In 2023, the Australian Packaging Covenant (APCO) established 2025 targets aimed at driving significant and sustainable changes in packaging design and disposal. According to Jet Technologies, this included ensuring 100 per cent of all Australia’s packaging is reusable, recyclable, or compostable by 2025, a move that marks a significant step towards a circular economy.
The targets also include an increase in the recycled content within packaging to 50 per cent, aiming to reduce the reliance on virgin materials and enhance the value of recycled materials. There is also a strong focus on phasing out single-use plastic packaging, reflecting growing environmental concerns and consumer demand for sustainable practices.
“The APCO targets represent a concerted effort across government, business, and the community to collaboratively reshape and improve Australia’s packaging ecosystem, emphasizing sustainability and responsible resource use,” says Daniel.
“With the deadline to meet these targets fast approaching, we expect to see more and more coffee brands actively assessing and updating their coffee packaging in the near future.”
Jet Technologies aims to provide the best material available that adheres to the highest designation within the APCO criteria to being “recycle ready”. The choices were either mono materials Mono Polypropylene (PP), Mono Polyethylene (PE), or a Polyolefin material composition.
“Polyolefins are mixtures of PP and PE. These materials can achieve high recyclability designations similar to those achieved using mono materials. This is because they are derived from the same family of compounds and their melting points are very similar,” says Daniel.
“Also available are packaging options that are paper-based and/or industrially compostable. When choosing which type of flexible packaging is right for the brand, there are often competing variables that need to be considered. Our role is to present the options available in terms of productivity, costs, shelf life, embellishment potential and sustainability profile, and for the client to decide what’s best for them.”
According to Daniel, Jet Technologies’ portfolio is carefully crafted specifically for coffee application in mind, no matter which material the client chooses.
“We’re of the belief that there’s a demand for environmentally friendly products, and we think the profile of roasters is in line with our strong environmental conscience too,” Daniel says.
“I’m proud to be part of the Australian coffee industry and providing products we believe can make a big impact.”
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