End-of-life disposal of paper cups has long been a sensitive issue. While these single-use cups are made of paper, to make them suitable for drinks, most are coated in a thin layer of plastic. As a result paper cups, thought by most people to be compostable are not. Nor are they readily recyclable, as separating the plastic from the paper fibres is virtually impossible. And in the end, most end up in landfill.
“Most consumers assume the paper cup they’re drinking out of at their local coffee shop is sustainable and they have no idea that it’s actually coated in petroleum-based plastic,” said Michael Winters, WinCup President and Chief Revenue Officer. “That means the cup is headed straight for the landfill, where the petrol-plastic inside them will remain for hundreds of years.
A new cup launched by WinCup addresses this problem by using a cup lining made from PHA, a biopolyester that results from the microbial fermentation of canola oil. The cup is suitable for hot beverages and is the company’s newest addition to its phade brand of products.
WinCup previously launched its phade drinking straw and stirrer, which quickly became an industry standard.The company has received numerous awards for the development of phade, including the 2020 Innovation in Biopolymer Award from the Plastics Industry Association, and the 2021 Innovation in Foodservice Award for Sustainability Solutions from the National Restaurant Association. phade was also recognised as a finalist or honourable mention in 4 out of 5 categories in Fast Company’s 2021 World Changing Ideas Awards.
The products marketed under the phade brand are based on PHA resin from Danimer Scientific. It is the first bioplastic resin to be certified by TüV -formerly Vinçotte - as biodegradable and compostable in soil, compost, freshwater and saltwater environments. Danimer has also obtained FDA approval for use in food-contact applications for its PHA.
The PHA-lined cup is designed with a blue-lined interior, distinguishing it from other cups in the market.
“We’ve solved a problem that the industry has been grappling with for years,” said Brad Laporte, WinCup’s Chief Executive Officer. “Finally, there’s a paper cup that is both truly sustainable and effective for hot beverages. phade cups are the first in the world to bring the groundbreaking benefits of PHA into this significant category, allowing the phade cup to naturally biodegrade in a matter of months in compost.”
The launch of the phade cup is fortuitously timed. Globally, awareness of the value of the bioeconomy is growing. In September 2022, US president Biden signed an executive order to advance biotechnology and biomanufacturing innovation in the US and last week, the administration made a series of announcements stating the goals and priorities to achieve this. A 22 March report noted that ‘opportunities exist to produce biobased plastics to offset petroleum-derived plastic products, but use of biobased products must be expanded.’
Recent studies show that less than 10 percent of plastic is recycled, while demand for traditional plastics continues to grow. phade cups and straws provide an immediate solution to replace fossil fuel-based plastics and curb global plastic pollution.