MTH Composites

Engineered biocomposites · Québec, Canada

Coffee grounds, engineered into structural parts.

MTH Composites builds polymer compounds that carry upcycled spent coffee grounds into production parts — for beverage equipment manufacturers and premium packaging brands who want to replace part of the polymer with an upcycled, bio-based filler without giving up mechanical performance or production economics.

Sample compound for qualified evaluation Non-food-contact structural parts Developed and compounded in Québec

Grade MTH-PROD · composition by weight

28% upcycled coffee grounds by weight

Polypropylene
Proven matrix polymer. Keeps the part inside the #5 polypropylene family and its existing reprocessing equipment.
Spent coffee grounds
Upcycled from Québec roasters. Diverted from disposal, dried and milled to a controlled particle size.
Coupling agent
Maleic-anhydride-grafted polypropylene. Bonds a polar bio-filler to a non-polar matrix — this is what makes the loading work.
01

Production grades and composition

Both grades run on standard injection-moulding equipment with conventional tooling. The choice is between drop-in economics and a bio-based polymer matrix.

MTH-PROD

Production series. Brewer components, equipment housings, high-volume industrial parts.

Matrix
Polypropylene homopolymer
Coffee grounds
28% by weight
Bio-based carbon
ASTM D6866 test scheduled
Resin code
#5
End of life
Closed-loop take-back (pending verification)

MTH-EARTH

Premium and limited-edition series. Cosmetic caps, reusable cup systems, brand-forward components.

Matrix
Bio-polyethylene, sugarcane
Coffee grounds
28% by weight
Bio-based carbon
ASTM D6866 test scheduled
Resin code
#2
Traceability
ISCC PLUS framework (pending)
02

Applications and target components

We supply the compound. Our customers mould the part — on their tooling, in their plant, through their existing supply chain.

Primary

Brewer components

Drip trays, pod bins, levers, risers and structural housings for capsule and drip brewers. Non-food-contact parts where stiffness, dimensional stability and colour consistency decide whether a material qualifies.

MTH-PROD · compatible with #5 industrial reprocessing

Secondary

Premium packaging

Caps, closures and rigid components for hair care, skincare and beauty brands with published circularity commitments. The same matrix technology, qualified for a different set of requirements.

MTH-EARTH · sugarcane-derived bio-polyethylene matrix, ASTM D6866 test scheduled

Demonstration

Reusable cup systems

Cup holders and reusable systems for coffee chains. We build these to prove the material in the hand — a compound is hard to sell until someone can hold a part made from it.

MTH-EARTH · prototype and limited series

03

Claims substantiation and regulatory position

Buying a bio-based material should not create work for your legal team. We publish what we can defend, we name the standard behind it, and we say plainly what is still in progress.

What we say, and what backs it

  • Established28% upcycled spent coffee grounds by weight of the compound (formulation, not a bio-based carbon measurement)
  • EstablishedUpcycled spent coffee grounds — EPA terminology, diverted from disposal
  • EstablishedPolypropylene-dominant matrix, #5 resin identification code
  • Established28% of the polymer by weight replaced with an upcycled residue stream
  • Under testClosed-loop reprocessing through manufacturer take-back — pending compound density verification against APR protocol O-S-01, the float-sink threshold that governs #5 recovery
  • Under testASTM D6866 third-party radiocarbon measurement of bio-based carbon content. The result will be published when it is in hand
  • Under testLife-cycle assessment, ISO 14040 / 14044, with CIRAIG
  • Under testUSDA BioPreferred registration and ISCC PLUS traceability

Our position on the words we refuse

A polypropylene matrix does not biodegrade and does not compost. No qualifier makes those claims acceptable, and we will not make them — including when a customer asks us to. Several suppliers in this category currently do, and we think that exposure eventually lands on the brand that bought the material, not on the supplier who sold it.

Never used in MTH materials, by policy:

  • biodegradable
  • compostable
  • eco-friendly
  • recyclable — unqualified
  • 100% bio-based
  • carbon neutral — without verified offsets

Aligned with the U.S. FTC Green Guides (16 CFR Part 260), the Competition Act environmental claims provisions in Canada, and the EU directive on empowering consumers for the green transition (2024/825).

04

Frequently asked technical questions

The questions we get asked before a first call, answered plainly. If the answer is unflattering, it is still the answer.

Does the material smell of coffee?
No, and that surprises people. Spent coffee grounds are dried and milled before compounding, and the aromatic compounds responsible for coffee smell are volatile — most are driven off during drying, and the remainder during melt processing at 200–230 °C. What survives is the colour and the characteristic brown speckle, not the aroma. Odour is the first thing we test on any new formulation, because a permanently wet part like a drip tray would be the worst place to get it wrong.
Is MTH biocomposite biodegradable or compostable?
No. Neither grade is biodegradable or compostable, and we will not make that claim under any qualification. MTH-PROD uses a polypropylene matrix and MTH-EARTH uses a bio-polyethylene matrix — both are polyolefins, and polyolefins do not biodegrade in any timeframe or environment relevant to a disposal claim. Bio-based describes where the carbon came from. Biodegradable describes what happens at end of life. They are unrelated properties, and conflating them is the most common error in this category.
Can parts made from it be recycled?
Through industrial closed-loop reprocessing, yes — the matrix is polypropylene-dominant and carries the #5 resin identification code, so a polypropylene reclaimer can process it on existing equipment. We qualify the claim that way deliberately. Residential curbside recovery is a different question: municipal sorting depends on optical recognition and float-sink density separation, and a filled biocomposite behaves differently from unfilled polypropylene in both. For brewer components the intended pathway is manufacturer take-back, not the blue bin.
Is it approved for food contact?
No. Both grades are currently specified for non-food-contact applications — structural and housing components, not surfaces that touch a beverage or a foodstuff. Food-contact qualification requires its own regulatory pathway and migration testing that we have not undertaken. If your application involves direct food or beverage contact, tell us early, because it changes the entire evaluation.
Does it run on standard injection moulding tooling?
Yes. Both grades are designed as drop-in compounds for conventional injection moulding, with no tooling modification and no specialised equipment. That constraint drove the formulation: a material that requires new tools is a material that does not get adopted. Processing conditions are close to unfilled polypropylene, with a drying step before moulding — the bio-filler is hygroscopic and must be dry at the throat.
How much spent coffee ground does it contain, and how is that measured?
28% by weight in both grades. That figure is the formulation: how much of the compound, by mass, is upcycled spent coffee grounds. It is not a bio-based carbon content. Bio-based carbon is measured with ASTM D6866, a radiocarbon method that compares recently fixed biological carbon with fossil carbon as a share of total carbon. Coffee grounds hold less carbon per kilogram than polypropylene, so the measured share is expected to be lower than 28%. That test is scheduled, and we will publish the result rather than estimate it. MTH-EARTH uses a sugarcane-derived polyethylene matrix, so its bio-based carbon share is expected to be much higher; we will publish that figure once it has been measured.
Where do the coffee grounds come from, and is supply secure?
From Québec coffee roasters, collected regionally and processed through partners including Trema and Station Agro-Biotech. Spent coffee grounds are one of the largest single-stream organic residues in the food system and the constraint is never availability — it is collection logistics and drying cost. Feedstock arrives at roughly 60% moisture and must be dried before it can be compounded, which is the real economics of this material and the reason several earlier attempts in this category failed.
How do we get a sample, and what are the commercial terms?
Sample compound is available for qualified evaluation programs. The most productive first conversation is about a specific component — its geometry, duty cycle, service environment and volume — because those determine which grade applies and whether the material is a fit at all. Pricing is per kilogram under negotiated terms and depends on grade and volume. Contact us with the part in mind rather than the material.
05

Company and research partners

A two-founder company working with Québec's applied research infrastructure, rather than building a plant of our own.

Founders

Simon Desmarais

Co-founder & President — R&D

Three years of formulation work in biocomposites. Leads matrix development, the Coalia partnership, and product engineering.

Martin Dupuis

Co-founder — Business Development & Operations

Background in regulatory affairs across cosmetics and natural health products. Leads commercial strategy, claims discipline and investor relations.

Working with

CoaliaR&D · CCTT Thetford Mines
Trema CaféFeedstock · Montréal
Station Agro-BiotechFeedstock processing
CIRAIGLife-cycle assessment

Our formulation work happens with applied-research partners in Québec rather than in a facility we would have to build and amortise ourselves.

06 — Contact

Technical enquiries and sample requests

The most useful first conversation is usually about a specific component — its geometry, its duty cycle, and what it has to survive. Sample compound and technical data are available for qualified evaluation programs.

martin.dupuis@mthcomposites.com Technical enquiries