Studies have shown that 75% of Australians drink at least one cup of coffee a day and 70% of New Zealanders are on board the coffee train as well. The stop on the way to work for a coffee is like a morning ritual in the almost 5-billion-dollar coffee industry across both countries. And for the local café owner or the barista, that morning ritual is quickly shown to be the busiest, and therefore most important, part of the day.
With 3 million coffee cups being disposed of around Australia and New Zealand every day, it’s important to ensure your customers are leaving with the best sustainable options in their hands. So, what choices can you make to become part of the solution?
Reusable Coffee Cups
We’ve all got one of them, if not two. Reusable cups your customers can bring in for their takeaway morning coffees. There are many benefits of reusable coffee cups (such as the ones the clever folks at Huskee designed): they keep your coffee warm and come in various colours and designs to suit anyone’s style[3].
Reusable coffee cups can be made from various materials such as glass, stainless steel or food grade silicone – and come in a variety of sizes. They’re a cost-effective and sustainable solution when a disposable single-use product is not required.
Takeaway Coffee Cups with a Bio-Plastic Lining
Bio-plastics such as polylactic acid (PLA) or a bio-based polybutylene succinate (BioPBS) are derived from plant-based resources like corn starch, cassava and sugarcane. This means that paper cups with a PLA or BioPBS lining are made from renewable materials and are compostable in commercial facilities under specific conditions. Coffee cups with a bio-plastic lining are a sustainable alternative to the standard plastic lined coffee cup.
Takeaway Coffee Cups with a Barrier Coating
A new innovation in disposable hot cups is the application of a water-based barrier coating to the paperboard, eliminating the need for a separate plastic lining. The paperboard material is made from well-managed, Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®-C117930) certified forests and other controlled sources, so that you know it’s responsibly and ethically sourced.
Coffee cups with a water-based barrier coating are the next innovation in sustainable solutions for disposable food packaging.
Coffee Cup Lids Made From PLA or Pulp
When thinking about sustainable alternatives to the takeaway coffee cup, you also need to consider the lids. They need to be functional, tight fitting and leak free, while still being sustainable. Lids made from either PLA or sugarcane pulp are renewable alternatives to the standard plastic lid. They’re made from plant-based materials and are compostable in commercial composting facilities under specific conditions.
The Solution is in Your Hands
Sustain’s new range of water-based barrier coated hot cups combine sustainability and style. These cups are made from kraft brown, unbleached paper which minimises the bleaching process during production to create less wastewater. As well as having a renewable start of life, these cups also have a sustainable end of life, being compostable in a commercial composting facility in accordance with EN 13432:2000 and also passing the recyclability testing in accordance with PTS Method PTS-RH:021-97.
So, when your customer walks in for their morning takeaway coffee and a chat, know that when they leave – they have the solution in their hands.
[1] https://mccrindle.com.au/insights/blogarchive/australian-attitudes-towards-coffee/#:~:text=Three%20quarters%20of%20Australians%20have,or%20more%20cups%20per%20day!
[2] https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU1912/S00174/three-coffees-a-day-for-nearly-a-quarter-of-kiwis.htm
[3] https://huskee.co/blog/10-benefits-of-reusable-coffee-cups/
