Innovation Leads To Less Plastic In New Disposable Cup

By Alec Italiano, contributing writer

A new cup in Earthchoice’s portfolio is being made using 25 percent more post-consumer recycled materials

It is no secret that environmentally-friendly packages produced at a cost comparable to conventional methods are in great demand. When a company such as Pactiv releases a new foam cup that is made with 25 percent more post-consumer recycled content material, people pay attention.

Being called a first in the food service industry, Pactiv’s EarthChoice product developers have designed a foam cup that touts excellent performance — is it doesn’t disintegrate when coming in contact with a liquid — while keeping the cost of production at a competitive rate. Nearly 25 percent of material used in the foam cup comes from waste diverted from landfills that is cleaned, broken down, and recycled as a raw material during the production process. With landfills growing larger every day — especially in highly populated areas such as New York City where a bill to ban Styrofoam made headlines at the end of Bloomberg’s term in 2013 — this this breakthrough can be seen as an important step in keeping landfills at a reasonable size.

The cups are being produced at conventional 8, 12, 16, and 20-ounce sizes for restaurants and establishments selling beverages on-the-go. The post-consumer recycled material being used in the new foam cup will replace a significant amount of plastic that would normally be used, while keeping beverages at the appropriate temperature. Squeezing every margin in the value-chain is an effective way to stay sustainable and this new foam cup only adds to the sustainable effort Pactiv is portraying. To stay ahead of the curve, manufacturers will need to continue to innovate and spend money in research & development to not only stay attractive in the market, but also to help solve problems of the environment such as overflowing landfills and pollution.