A high-barrier and biodegradable packaging for coffee beans produced by Soft Pack (Gwangju / South Korea; www.softpack.co.kr) has received the grand prize in South Korea’s 8th "Green Packaging Awards". The packaging uses "Plantic", which is made from starch by Plantic Technologies (Altona / Australia; www.plantic.com.au), part of Kuraray (Tokyo / Japan; www.kuraray.com). Plantic has high impermeability to oxygen, which Soft Pack said ensures that the quality and flavour of the coffee beans are preserved. Plantic is also used to package fresh foods, including meat, poultry and fish.

Founded in 2011, the awards were established to highlight eco-friendly packaging technologies and designs as well as to boost interest in preserving nature and saving resources. They are sponsored by the South Korean Ministry of Environment and the Korea Environment Packaging Promotion Institute.