Bio-dye from coffee roaster side streams – Natural Indigo Finland won the Sustainable Innovations competition

Natural Indigo Finland Oy has won the Sustainable Innovations competition organized in conjunction with the PacTec, FoodTec & PlastExpo Nordic event on March 11, 2026. The competition seeks the most interesting innovations in the packaging, food and plastics sectors that implement a sustainability perspective. The winning innovation converts waste coffee from coffee roasters into industrially usable bio-dyes.

Natural Indigo Finland The technology utilizes side streams generated in coffee roasters and converts them into printing inks that can be used in packaging, for example. The solution offers an alternative to fossil-based dyes and utilizes material that would otherwise go to waste.

Moving forward with cooperation

The award was received by the CEO of Natural Indigo Finland. Pasi Ainasoja, who was very taken with the recognition.

Commercial applications of the innovation are being developed in collaboration with the Meira / Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group, Adara Packaging, Tampere University of Applied Sciences and Siegwerk, one of the leading suppliers of printing inks and coatings in the packaging industry worldwide.

Ainasoja emphasized the importance of the entire value chain in business. Success is based on collaboration, interaction and passion. The bio-color recipe is the result of long-term development.

"Finland should pay more attention to cooperation. Together we can rock forward," Ainasoja comments on commercial development.

Solutions for recycling and reporting in the final

The biennial competition seeks innovations in the packaging, food and plastics sectors that combine business potential and sustainability.

This year, 15 solutions were submitted, of which three were selected to pitch their ideas in the final. In addition to Natural Indigo Finland, FinBelt Oy's CaproCycle and Sumi Oy's SumiOn reporting system.

Finbelt Oy introduced the CaproCycle solution, which combines mechanical and chemical recycling. Its goal is to unlock the circular economy value of multilayer plastic waste. This way, cleaner material fractions can be directed back into circulation.

Sumi Oy entered the competition with the SumiOn system. It is a smart reporting tool that automates the statutory reporting of packaging producers. The system collects data on sales volumes and automatically converts them into a reporting format, which reduces manual work and improves reporting accuracy.

The winner of the competition was chosen by an expert jury, which included: Juha Ala-Hiiro (Technical Trade Association), Mirja Juslin (Plastics Association), Vesa Kärhä (Plastics Industry Association), Antro Säila (Finnish Packaging Association) and Viivi Wanhalinna (Food Science Society & Developing Food).

As a reward, Natural Indigo Finland received a 5000 euro award from the Finnish Fair Foundation.

The jury emphasized commercial potential

The jury based their choice of the winner primarily on the commercial readiness of the solution. Natural Indigo Finland's innovation is not just a research idea, but a technology advancing to the market, around which a functioning value chain has already been built.

Coffee-based dyes have significant market potential. Utilizing waste coffee can provide a new, scalable source of raw materials for bio-based dyes in the packaging industry. Another advantage of the solution is that the raw material does not compete with food production: the dye is produced from material that would otherwise be wasted.

According to the jury members, the level of the competition proposals was very high throughout.

Text: Maarit Piippo, Uusiouutiset-magazine

Photo: Messukeskus. Antro Säilä (center in the picture) presented the Sustainable Innovations award to Pasi Ainasoja of Natural Indigo Finland at the PacTec FoodTec PlastExpo fair in Helsinki on March 11, 2026.