Organic cereals boast compostable, laminated bag

A bag for Jordan UK's organic cereal varieties has earned a DuPont (www.dupont.com) award for its innovative combination of films, inks, and adhesives. The bag meets Europe's Din Certco accreditation requirements for full compostability in a commercial or domestic setting; Din Certco is a widely recognized certification organization.

A family-owed company, Jordans, of Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, U.K., is the largest manufacturer of organic breakfast cereals in the U.K. and is, according to company literature, "driven by a passionate belief in the benefits of healthy eating and natural food."

In 2005, to further extend its environmental commitment-the company practices natural farming methods and uses organically sourced ingredients-Jordans began working with Alcan Packaging Dublin Ltd. (www.alcan.com) to develop a fully compostable bag for its new Organic Granola and its Organic Muesli.

According to David Maxwell, a member of Alcan's product development and technical service in Dublin, project challenges included meeting Din Certco requirements for material weights and for the heavy-metal content of inks and adhesives. "The rules for compostability are strict and defined, and thus, the package thickness had to be similar to the existing Jordans' packs," he explains.