At a Glance
Challenge:
Arbor Teas was struggling with recurring packaging failures, including delamination, tearing, weak seals, and print defects. After working with multiple suppliers, they still lacked a reliable compostable packaging solution for their oil-rich tea products.
Solution:
Enviro Flex Pack analyzed the root causes of the failures, recommended improved compostable structures, strengthened package design, and provided samples for real-world testing before production.
Results:
Within weeks of testing, the new packaging outperformed the customer's existing solution, showing no delamination and improved durability. Arbor Teas moved forward with custom production and successfully transitioned to a more reliable compostable packaging program.
Customer Overview
Arbor Teas is a specialty tea company committed to sustainability and environmentally responsible packaging. As a brand serving customers who value both product quality and environmental impact, compostable packaging plays an important role in their business.
However, finding compostable packaging that could withstand the unique challenges of oil-rich tea products proved far more difficult than expected.
What began as a search for a solution to recurring packaging failures ultimately became a successful partnership built on technical expertise, product performance, and trust.
The Challenge
After switching through multiple suppliers, Arbor Teas continued to face recurring, critical packaging failures:
Internal delamination
layer separation after contact with oil-rich products
Tear propagation
sharp corners creating stress points during handling and shipping
Weak side seals
insufficient durability for standard transport
Ink blocking surface damage
printed surfaces sticking together, causing tearing upon opening
Bag-to-bag punctures
sharp corners from stacked bags damaging neighboring packages
Despite multiple supplier changes, no solution had addressed the full range of issues.
Our Technical Approach
Rather than offering a generic replacement, we conducted a root-cause assessment and tailored each variable to the customer's specific product profile:
Delamination resistance
selected a compostable structure engineered for improved oil barrier and layer adhesion
Corner-induced tearing
redesigned geometry with rounded corners to eliminate stress points
Seal integrity
upgraded to a seal structure with higher bond strength
Print performance
applied a printing process designed to prevent ink transfer and surface blocking
We were transparent about material limitations while optimizing within the customer's sustainability framework. Sample bags were provided for real-world testing over 25 days — filled with actual product and monitored under typical storage conditions.
Validation Results
The customer's own test report confirmed:
"We opened the test bags today and I'm happy to report that they are holding up really well! We see some staining on the inside from the oils, but no delamination. And the outside looks really nice!"
Key outcomes:
Delamination
effectively eliminated during the test period, outperforming all previous suppliers' current production packaging
Physical durability
rounded corners and stronger seals resolved tearing and puncture issues across handling and stacking
Print quality
clean, cosmetic finish maintained with zero ink-transfer defects
Production confidence
the customer proceeded with custom orders after testing, despite our offer to extend validation, citing sufficient confidence in the visible performance gap
Final Solution Delivered
Two custom compostable pouch programs were implemented:
Small format
3-layer structure optimized for protection and material efficiency
Large format
4-layer structure with enhanced durability for heavier contents
Key Takeaway
Sustainable packaging should not require sacrificing performance.
When Arbor Teas encountered repeated failures from multiple packaging suppliers, Enviro Flex Pack took a different approach—analyzing the root causes, addressing each technical challenge individually, and validating performance through real-world testing before production.
The result was a compostable packaging solution that delivered stronger performance, improved durability, and renewed confidence in the customer's packaging program.
For brands packaging oil-rich products, technical expertise can make the difference between recurring failures and long-term success.
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