Huntington Beach, Seal Beach surfers offer alternatives to food-package waste

The four Surfrider pals have developed a line of eco-friendly cups, straws, box and utensils.

Like many beachgoers, Shane Coons and three surfing pals picked up trash during visits. But unlike many, they didn’t walk away satisfied they’ve done enough.

By the spring of 2018, they were plotting, after surf sessions, to make a greener Southern California — and one with bluer waves.

Those plastic straws? The four now manufacture straws that are 100% paper. Plastic-lined coffee cups? Theirs have half as much plastic and can be recycled. Plastic sippy cup lids for coffee? They have “butterfly” cups with self-contained spill-free tops you can drink from.

Their company, 4 blue waves, incorporated in May 2018 and has quickly developed a full line of green — or at least greener — products, including fast food containers, compostable wooden utensils and reusable bamboo plates.

Now it’s a matter helping consumers and retailers catch up with the transition to more environmentally friendly single-use containers, utensils, cups and straws. At beach cleanups, 75% of the trash are food and beverage related, Coons said in a post-surf interview at a Bolsa Chica State Beach snack bar patio.

“We’re on the front edge of the wave,” he said. “Awareness is growing. … There’s a great need to make progress in the food and restaurant industry, and there’s a lot of technology that’s not being utilized.”

The company’s marquee product — the recyclable cup with less plastic content — can be found in some two dozen coffee shops and cafes throughout Southern California so far. Among other possible users is SoFi Stadium — the future home of Rams and Chargers — with a meeting scheduled to discuss the possibility later this month.

The cups are more common in the United Kingdom, where Coca Cola is using them, and Australia. But Coons and company expect that trend of state and local laws limiting the use of food-related plastics will buoy demand in Southern California.

“It’s a fully viable technology that is in use elsewhere,” Coons said. “What we’re trying to do is get it to catch on here.”

‘The passion I wanted’

Coons, a 48-year-old Seal Beach business attorney, had been looking for environment-friendly business clients in early 2018 when he attended the first Rising Tide Summit in San Pedro. The now-annual conference attracts environmental activists and green businesses with a particular focus on the ocean.

At the event, he met the owners of Newport Beach-based Smart Planet Technologies, which doesn’t make the recyclable cup but holds the patent for it and helps those interested in manufacturing the product. That started the ball rolling.

He then recruited three fellow Surfrider Foundation activists: Huntington Beach’s Laurie Hammond, Tony Soriano and a third man who asked not to be named to avoid conflicts with the boss at his day job. The four, who all continue at their primary workplaces, have a combined 40 years of volunteering for Surfrider.

“I was looking for people with the talent and the passion I wanted to work with, as well as sales and organizational skills,” Coons said from a stool outside the Bolsa Chica snack bar, high clouds wafting through the skies while a pair of surfers made their way across the sand. The unnamed co-founder was also on hand after having surfed with Coons earlier.

The four have no employees — any collecting of cups from their clients’ shops for recycling is done by them, for now. The self-funded startup hopes to break even next year and allow all four to begin working full time for the company. Right now, Coons is putting in the lion’s share of work, which he estimates at 60 hours a week.

Obstacles, goals

The 158 million single-use coffee cups used and discarded in the U.S. each day are enough to fill 500 football fields 10-feet high, according to Coons. That’s nearly 58 billion cups a year — if set end to end, enough to go around the Earth 147 times.

With Asia severely curtailing its import of recyclables in recent years, California — like much of the country — finds itself with inadequate infrastructure to process recyclables. As a result, much of it is ending up in landfills.

While many of the 4 blue waves cups suffer the same fate, Coons points out that at least they cut in half the plastic content that will linger in landfills. While the cups can be recycled — and many are — the company cannot officially market them as recyclable unless it is recycling at least 60%, a target Coons hopes to hit within two years.

First, the company needs to win more cooperation from clients’ shops in segregating the cups. And it needs to set up a more formal collection system to get the cups to the specialized recycling centers in Santa Ana and Downey that handle the material.

Coons is also hoping to get more and bigger venues, places where people typically do not take the cups “to go,” like movie theaters, stadiums, resorts, amusement parks and colleges.

While they’re working with a company developing a fully biodegradable cup that can hold hot liquids, Coons and his colleagues are nonetheless eager to promote products using existing technology.

“We don’t want the perfect to stand in the way of the good,” Coons said, glancing at the nearby waves rolling in.

As for the other products, straws are the next biggest seller. A couple dozen cafes and shops are using them now and the company is on talks with other potential users. The company’s paper straws informally tested by the Southern California News Group sat in water for nearly an hour before the first sign of softening. While the cups cost a couple pennies more than their traditional counterparts, the straws cost about twice as much as their market rivals, Coons said.

The cups and straws are among the company’s products manufactured in China, with the company preparing to move those operations to Southern California next year.

Meanwhile, Coons eyes drift back to the ocean. The late morning breeze is light, and a combination of southwest and northwest swells is producing alluring peaks.

“Maybe we need to paddle back out.”

United Airlines switches to Linstol’s ‘Super Cup’

United Airlines has begun using recyclable coffee cups from Linstol featuring Smart Planet Technologies’ EarthCoating.

Linstol’s ‘Super Cup’ is made with EarthCoating, a mineral-enriched resin that uses up to 51% less plastic and can be pulped back into recycled paper products.

Linstol said the design for the Super Cup means there is little difference in weight between a standard double-wall hot cup, meaning it should be a cost neutral-decision for airlines.

It can also nest 40% more cups per stack, enabling easy pre- and post-use storage and collection.

Mark Russell, chief executive of Linstol, said: “The Super Cup is designed to be valuable and easy for recyclers around the world to integrate into their paper recovery and recycling processes. We consider environmental innovation an integral part of Linstol’s core values.”

Looking ahead, Linstol anticipates launching a single wall cup for cold beverages made with EarthCoating as a viable replacement for 100% plastic cups, along with a variety of other packaging, which could be optimized for environmental and economic benefits using EarthCoating.

Green Cinema Revisited: Tips to becoming a more environmentally-responsible exhibitor

As seen in Screen Trade Magazine September 2019 Green Cinema: Revisited Issue

It’s a hopping Saturday evening. The kids are on a sleepover, and the wife and I, having just collected our movie-tickets at the box office, make our way over to the concession. Of course, as we approach the snack-counter, the pleasantly-hypnotic aroma of buttery-popcorn immediately fills the nostrils as our gaze roams before locking-in on the array of luminous candy colours emanating from behind the glassware. “Two large popcorns, please... a medium soda and a box of those M&M’s”, requests the wife to the staffer greetings us at the counter. Pulling out my wallet, I also order for myself a large iced-tea along with a tray of nachos to top the order off. As our snack-bounty almost instantaneously materialises, we’re directed to the napkin-and-straw trays at the condiment station to the right of the concession. Upon loading-up on condiments and other necessary wares, without a further thought we make our way to our seats. What a great action movie... and before we know it, our onscreen hero has all but saved the world as the rolling-credits start to kick-in. However, as the audience disperses and makes its way to out of the exits, we slowly ease out of our seats, feeling somewhat overwhelmed by all the packaging still in our laps. Two large, and mostly empty, popcorn buckets; two large paper soda cups complete with lids and straws; an empty large box of M&Ms; a food-tray with hardening left-over nacho cheese and a few used napkins. In fact, this is nothing compared to the figurative mountain of similar trash tossed onto the floor, and this is just one screen in a typical nine-screen theatre; and yet the amount of waste generated, even in here, becomes truly staggering. And, in as much as Cinema’s exhibition sector remains a contributor to this increasingly ugly state-of-affairs, there is much preventative as well as remedial action that may still be taken by us, as a body – that is, by those both inside and outside of the sector.

A SERIOUS AND GROWING WASTE PROBLEM

Although, too, as a nation, we’ve always automatically assumed that used packaging would be recycled, there’s been a lot in the news lately about us having a serious and growing packaging-waste problem. And it made us wonder what the above Maryland theatre, in particular, actually does with all of the used packaging that accumulates following each show. Also, since most people will consider plastics and paper-packaging to be indeed recyclable materials, it often comes as something of a huge shock to many when they learn instead about their, and others’, trash instead getting buried deep into landfill. However, despite some plastic packaging being recyclable, the surprising truth is that it doesn’t get recycled nearly as often as we might hope or expect, all of which means it’s accumulating in landfills as well as finding its way into the Atlantic due to wanton littering. As a consequence, many businesses the world over are switching from plastic-packaging to more sustainable materials, including paper. And while paper cups and other paper-based foodservice-packaging may well do something to ease environmental concerns for some on an emotional level – mainly, that is, because of ‘how sustainable it all looks and feels’ – the reality is that paper packaging also has its fair share of issues. What issues?

PAPER’S ‘ISSUES’

Well, as just one example, paper cups aren’t just paper, but instead come with a lining to make them able to contain liquids as well as to seal the paper in the cup at its seams. The most commonly-used lining is polyethylene* and this plastic-coating becomes incompatible with conventional paper-recycling systems, making it often too difficult to recycle, so that the majority of paper cups become sorted from the recycling process before then being diverted to a landfill site. It’s actually been reported that over 2.5bn paper coffee cups become discarded as trash in the UK each year; whilst, in the U.S., a combination of hot and cold cups results in over 50bn drinking cups facing the same eventuality. In fact, the same polyethylene coating is also often used in other disposable paper-barrier packaging, which includes Cinema’s ice-cream tubs, popcorn-buckets, food-trays and take-out boxes, and so the scale of the problem remains far from in significant.

ADDRESSING PACKAGING WASTE – INTRODUCING THE 3 ‘R’s

In determining which sustainable packaging alternatives remain worthy of consideration, it’s important first to understand what is referred to as the ‘end-of-life packaging hierarchy’. This end-of-life hierarchy, as advocated by industry experts, is established by sifting-out the best-to-worst approaches in addressing packaging-waste and goes something like:’ Reduce’, ‘Reuse’, ‘Recycle’, and then ‘Compost’, ‘Incinerate, and ‘Landfill’. In other words: whenever it is possible to reduce, reuse and/or recycle used packaging, we are doing better than those opting to compost, incinerate or landfill the same materials. Also, when evaluating sustainable packaging alternatives, it’s important that they address each of the necessary performance, economic and environmental criteria. The packaging obviously has to be fit-for-purpose and to work well since it has to prevent the leakage of oils from a popcorn tub or, say, soda from a theatre’s paper drinking cup. Critically, the packaging also has to be affordable and not to negatively affect the profit-margins of the products being sold in them. And, lastly, there has to be a legitimate all-round environmental benefit or else there hasn’t been anything gained by the use of sustainable packaging. All this being so, what are the options?

THE COMPOSTING & RECYCLING ROUTES

One of the options available is ‘compostable paper foodservice packaging’. Unlike a petroleum-based plastic coating, this type of packaging typically uses a plastic coating derived from plant-sources such as corn or sugar cane; and the goal of compostable packaging obviously is to compost it instead of recycling. But to fully-capitalise upon compostable packaging, it’s important to know if industrial composting is available in your region, as well as offered by your waste-haulier. But, unfortunately – as of the present time – only in very rare circumstances do waste-service providers or municipalities sort for compostable-packaging because they don’t yet have the necessary industrial composting infrastructure. Consumers typically have a fanciful misconception that compostable packaging that doesn’t get composted will still have a better environmental impact, but unless the compostable packaging actually does become properly composted then, sadly, that packaging is still destined for landfill.

Therefore, since recycling remains a better outcome, paper packaging that is recyclable would be the ideal situation. And while that hasn’t been an option for many years with polyethylene coatings, there are recent developments that have finally made paperboard for foodservice recyclable. For example, there are applied coatings for paperboard packaging which use some 40-51% less plastic in paper cup-production and foodservice-packaging that are designed to be easily pulped into recycled paper products using conventional paper-recycling equipment. Such paper cups have been recognised as being recyclable all along (and, most recently, receiving the highest AAA rating from The Green Dot, one of the recycling industry’s most respected certifying groups), as well as qualified to be recycled alongside uncoated paper.

WHAT ARE THE BEST OPTIONS?

We spoke initially with Todd Gasparik, Vice President at California-based Smart Planet Technologies, an engineering company focused upon developing recyclable packaging solutions – and his we felt to be a balanced view given that the company neither actually produces nor sells packaging, but rather licenses its proprietary technology to the packaging industry. “The first step in the process of paper cup-recycling”, begins Gasparik, “is to make it both valuable and easy for recyclers to pulp into recycled paper products by using conventional paper recycling equipment, and at our company we’ve developed paper-based packaging solutions that offer recycling while also using less plastic”. We learned that packaging this way is now also available to the Movie Theatre industry and has the potential to make a sizeable difference in the paper cup and foodservice packaging waste problem, or at least in America, Australia and the UK, at present.

Of those prepared to talk to us – and on this critical subject, surprisingly, several weren’t, we should add – we also sought other expert opinions in the packaging and waste-management fields to determine their thoughts on both the concept and execution of sustainable-packaging. First up was Eric Kovaraskis, proprietor of Pureco, a paper cup and foodservice-packaging manufacturer which has been making paper products for the Cinema industry for the past eight years. Pureco produces all manner of cinema-packaging including paper cups, popcorn buckets, food-trays, ice-cream cups, also paper-straws and even paper lids. For him, when asked about the most sustainable-packaging options for Exhibition today, he first agreed that paper cups and foodservice-packaging should be recycled both whenever and wherever possible, and that whilst poly-coated paper products will work fine, they often tended to end up in landfill, which obviously isn’t good. Also that while, at first glance, he believed that compostable packaging made good sense, this actually runs slower on his machines, also costs more to produce and typically ends up in landfill along with the poly-coated packaging, anyway, on account of the present lack of good composting-infrastructure. The most promising commercially-available solution to date, he agreed, is [EarthCoating], a mineral-blended resin that runs best on his machines, costs about the same as poly, and can be used to make paper cups and other products requiring less plastic and are designed for easeof- recycling. Further, while his company still ‘offers all options’ – including poly-coated and compostable paper cups and foodservice-packaging, and remains receptive to running a variety of alternative products in the hope of testing for sustainable solutions – he anticipates switching all of its polyethylene-coated paper cup business to mineral-blended resins in the near future. For him, the pricing is also right and the environmental benefits significant. And while it is also true that his customers admit being unable to tell the difference, they seem to be much happier going with the eco-friendlier solution.

Next, we spoke with Oliver Lloyd, owner of Magenta, a UK-based foodservice distributor who was asked if he’d noted any recent increases in demand for good ecosolutions; also which products he’d sold the most of and why. He replied: “Yes, our business is largely focused upon providing customers with environmentally-friendly solutions for their packaging needs and indeed we sell a variety of products... but over the last few months we’ve seen a huge demand for recyclable and compostable paper products. While we’re currently selling both solutions, we find that the recyclable paper products are proving more cost-effective. We also recognise the fact that, here in the UK, we lack the necessary composting infrastructure to ensure compostable products actually do get properly composted. We also have a private-label brand called ‘The 100% Recyclable Paper Cup’ which most of our customers prefer to use in support of their sustainable packaging initiatives”. Among good examples of customers who have used the company’s recyclable cups and actually had them recycled, Lloyd stated that, only in June, Virgin Sports had used its 100% Recyclable Paper Cup for its marathons and with the cups, post-race, being gathered-up and recycled into brand new paper products.

Australia-based cinema group, Village Entertainment is one exhibitor already onboard. Its marketing manager, Nic Robin, had declared Village to be the first cinema operation in Australia to be using its disposable products. The company is also shortly to progress a six-month roll out program for its cups, cup-lids and straws across the entire circuit, along with other slow-moving supplies to follow, while feeling this to be a critical step in reducing its sole reliance upon single use plastic products.

Another Australian organisation, the foodservice packaging-distributor, SuperPop Cinema Supplies, too agreed that paper cups and foodservice-packaging made with mineral-blended-resins offered the ‘best of both worlds’ for its clients who remain concerned also aboutdoing the right thing by the environment. Declared Michael Conole, the National Operations Manager for the company: “The packaging looks and performs just the same as our current packaging while, at the same time, uses far less plastic as well as being designed to be easily recycled… and we’re thrilled to be offering this solution to our customers in support both of plastic reduction and increased recycling”.

CLOSING THE ‘PLASTIC WASTE LOOP’

Paper cups that are sufficiently valuable, as well as easy enough for recyclers to process into new paper products, can begin being used at any location at which the opportunity to ‘close-the-loop’ and to start recycling them becomes available. And so, from this premise, perhaps the question that remains is one of how we might increase the value of our recyclables. How do we do that? Already, there are multiple-recyclers, shredders and material-sourcing companies around the world seeking-out valuable materials to collect for recycling. Paper products that are made with less plastic are more disposed for recycling and, ideally, these items should be separated upon discard to ensure recyclers have materials that are clean, dry and valuable to resell on to recycling-papermills. In the event that the waste is not sorted, the recyclers can extract recyclable materials as there’s still inherent value, but there may be additional costs for the time and effort resulting in a lower rebate for participating cinemas for the volume of recyclables actually sold to the local material recovery facility.

PRESSING MANDATES & OPEN INVITATIONS

As select movie theatres around the world begin to be subjected to environmental mandates being issued by local municipalities and state legislatures, it feels like only a matter of time before the Cinema industry, and other business sectors, will need to make rapid changes in support of sustainability. Although recyclability and compostability claims differ throughout the world, the end-of-life hierarchy is already clear and advancements in sustainable-packaging and waste-diversion need to be better adopted by the sector.That said, and irrespective of the methods you choose to collect your recyclables, the first step in doing right by the environment is to use packaging designed to minimise the initial environmental impact. Solving our global waste problem requires incremental progress from all parties involved. Cinema industry members are now encouraged to use paper products made containing less plastic and that are both valuable and easy for paper-recyclers to convert into new recycled paper products. Once these materials are being used, the recycling industry can do what it does best: that is, extracting value from the waste-stream for re-use.

BEWARE ‘GREENWASHING’

An important rider about Greenwashing: the ‘whitewashing’ equivalent for environmental initiatives. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, ‘Greenwashing’ is defined as: ‘Expressions of environmentalist concern, especially those employed as a cover for products, policies or activities’. Therefore, as global demand for sustainable packaging solutions continues to rise, many commercial packaging companies have indeed also begun marketing ‘environmentally-friendly’ products. Unfortunately, several of these socalled ‘green alternatives’ are doing a good job in misleading consumers into a false sense of environmental stewardship because of the claims being made and/or even because of the eco-artwork that’s used – a green environmentally-certified ‘tick’ on the side of the cola cup, for example. Also, will it all be truly compostable paper packaging? As a for instance, ‘compostable paper-packaging’ may very well sound like a great idea in comparison to sending the same used packaging to landfill; however, when we take into consideration the serious lack of industrial composting facilities throughout the globe, it’s unrealistic to truly believe that these materials actually will become fully composted. Therefore, just stating eco-friendly intent can amount to mere greenwashing because, sadly, most of these ‘green-looking’ compostable products actually cost more than conventional polycoated paper-packaging and will end up in landfill sites just the same. It’s a con. And even if there was a pretty good commercial composting infrastructure, we should then be asking why we would be putting paper cups and foodservice-packaging into the ground following the same single-usage? This also represents a waste of virgin fibre that both could and should be recycled – the fibres are long and strong enough to be pulped up to seven times. And what, too, if we turned paper cups and popcorn-tubs into copy paper or even moulded pulp trays?

PLASTIC-FREE GREENWASHING..?

Another example of greenwashing has to do with those claiming ‘plastic-free’ paper cups and foodservice- packaging. And while the idea may, again, sound really worthy, the reality is that most of the ‘plasticfree’ paperboard barrier-packaging options being promoted do make use of plastic in some form or another. This is often because in order for a paper cup or foodservice packaging application to be formed, it must be heat-sealed into shape and thus requires some form of plastic to be heated-up and sealed together. Another good reason is for barrier performance; that is, while press-line aqueous coatings may offer some moisture-resistance – in order for a paper cup or foodservice-package to withstand the rigours of liquid, grease, oils or fatty acids – often heavy use is made of latex and/or acrylics which, again, are... plastics. This kind of marketing certainly lulls consumers into feeling good about using products that often still end-up in landfill (because of the unsuitability of the materials being used) but, in order to truly address our growing waste issues, we need to be asking ourselves, also our cinema operations at all levels, the self-same fundamental question we’ve been asking all along, namely: ‘where will this packaging end-up following use?’. There is no way to solve the problem immediately, however, there are some (green baby) steps that can be taken to make incremental progress in the right direction. As already stated, the first step to getting paper cups recycled is to make them valuable and easy for recyclers to process into recycled-paper products using conventional paper-recycling equipment.

...AND/BUT HOW SAFE?

Amid efforts to avoid plastic-packaging, some packagingsolutions being offered can, unwittingly, present even bigger problems. In recent years, bowls and trays made from moulded-pulp have become popular alternatives to plastic-packaging. Such bowls and trays are often used for foodservice such as salads and nachos and while the moulded-pulp bowls and trays are actually ‘plastic-free’ – and marketed as ‘compostable’ – they’re often coated with fluorinated-chemicals which have been shown to be potentially carcinogenic when ingested. In addition, these chemicals are non-biodegradable and can persist in the soil after composting, winding up later in the food products harvested. Recently, Chipotle, among other restaurants, had received negative publicity after being found to be using these bowls and trays, thereby exposing their customers to these chemicals. These are identified via such acronyms as PFAs, PFOAs and Gen-X. Therefore, when making foodservice-packaging decisions at your cinemas, it is critical to confirm non-toxicity and, in particular, also freedom from fluorinated-chemicals.

INCENTIVISING & REWARDING YOUR MOVIE-GOERS

Again, once paper cups, popcorn-tubs and other paper foodservice-packaging is made sufficiently valuable and convenient for recyclers to process, cinemas have an excellent opportunity to incentivise their movie-goers, and others, by creating in-house ‘recycling reward programs’. For example, what if movie-goers could scan their used paper cups or popcorn-tubs and then immediately scan the recycling bin they put them into for an opportunity to win free popcorn or tickets for next time, and thus going some way to helping to ensure customer loyalty? Or, perhaps for a chance to meet the star or other key player in the movie if this can be arranged, perhaps following a Q&A? All of a sudden, the used paper cups – once merely trash – now become valuable and not dissimilar to that of a small-win lottery ticket, and thus become worthy of collecting. And, from the movie theatre’s viewpoint, such could even help reduce screenturnaround times for many of the busier shows as well as in general. Some other examples of useful recyclingreward programmes that could be implemented at your cinemas, perhaps, are as follows:

• RecycleBank.com: An organisation which has been setting its sights upon creating ‘waste-free communities’, and rewards its members for reducing waste as well as for learning how to reduce waste, emphasising that, ‘together, we can all help to make the world a cleaner, greener place’.

• Helpful.world: Simply point the camera and scan the label on a coffee cup or a water-bottle purchased, in this case, at the cinema concession. Identifies and guides on how and where to recycle waste responsibly. It has a growing of network of ‘HELPFUL bins’ where it can guarantee that the plastic you deposit will be recycled and given a second life.

• Detpak.com/RecycleMe: If looking for a sustainable way to offer your movie-going customers a reusable cup, you can now literally ‘cut the rubbish’ by offering your drinks in a recyclable single-use-cup. RecycleMe™ is a takeaway cup with a ‘next-generation lining’, and with a specially-designed collection network, guaranteeing that cups collected will be diverted from landfill and recycled into high quality paper products. Also, with RecycleMe™ collection points now in Australia, New Zealand and the UK, its network is expanding further to cut the rubbish.

• Replenysh.com – A new material-sourcing platform that leverages existing recycling assets and provides participating brands with an online dashboard and realtime landfill waste-diversion metrics.

IN SUMMARY

By way of conclusion, it’s clear that there is overwhelming scientific as well as media evidence of a growing global waste-management problem, with which cinemas – as other business sectors, also – must grapple, and with the need for further immediate remedial action when it comes to plastic pollution-solutions. It is clear also that existing paper-packaging options remain, at best, something of a curate’s egg: there have been positive strides made along with some successes, but also a lot of misinformation-dissemination which, in turn, has managed to mislead as well as create confusion. It is hoped that this article has helped in going some way towards unpicking a few of the more pressing paper/packaging recycling issues which, amongst others, our Exhibition sector faces daily; whilst directing, too, a more effective course applicable across the industry’s various management strata, including individual staff-layers, and even extending to motivating individual movie-going customers, too.

When Linstol Took a Super Step to Reduce Plastic Waste

In 2017, Linstol introduced its customizable Super Cup to the market to reduce the environmental impact of catering resources in aviation. Air Calin and United Airlines are already using the product on board, with Linstol hoping many more will follow.

Traditionally, disposable paper cups used for hot drinks are created with a plastic coating, which means they are incompatible with conventional paper recycling systems and end up incinerated or in landfill. By contrast, Linstol’s Super Cup is made with EarthCoating, a mineral-enriched resin developed by material engineering company Smart Planet Technologies that uses up to 51% less plastic and can be easily pulped back into recycled paper products.

Linstol’s proprietary design for the Super Cup means there is little difference in weight between a standard double-wall hot cup and a Linstol Super Cup to ensure that switching to the product is a cost neutral-decision for airlines. It can also nest 40% more cups per stack, enabling easy pre- and post-use storage and collection.

“The Super Cup is designed to be valuable and easy for recyclers around the world to integrate into their paper recovery and recycling processes” – Mark Russell, Linstol

Mark Russell, CEO of Linstol, who spent months developing the product alongside director of Sales and Sustainability Bill Carrejo, commented, “The Super Cup is designed to be valuable and easy for recyclers around the world to integrate into their paper recovery and recycling processes. We consider environmental innovation an integral part of Linstol’s core values.”

Looking ahead, Linstol anticipates launching a single wall cup for cold beverages made with EarthCoating as a viable replacement for 100% plastic cups, along with a variety of other packaging, which could be optimized for environmental and economic benefits using EarthCoating.

“Supplying the Super Cup, as well as other products such as sugarcane bagasse dishes and food containers, bamboo napkins and compostable cutlery, allows Linstol to contribute to the tipping point in the airline industry that will see airlines eliminate plastics,” Russell continued.

CupPrint and FLYERALARM Launch First AAA Certified Recyclable Paper Cup on the German Market.

The announcement was made at an event in Berlin to celebrate the growth of Irish industry presence in Germany, hosted by Enterprise Ireland, (Ireland’s trade and innovation agency), during a state visit of the Irish President Michael D. Higgins.

CupPrint, the European market leader for short-run printed paper cups, and FLYERALARM, Europe’s leading online B2B printing company based in Würzburg, have made sustainability their top priority.

Together they’re launching the first paper cup on the market with AAA recyclability certification, the re|UUSI Cup, which is now available in Germany.

re|UUSI cups are specifically designed to be recycled in regular waste processing plants. In 2018 this product was awarded AAA certification by the Institute cyclos-HTP in conjunction with the German Green Dot scheme, which is recognised throughout Europe.

re|UUSI cups use up to 46% less plastic and can be recycled with normal mixed waste paper.

Ireland is clearly committed to the Green Agenda, sustainability and environmental awareness. Today’s announcement of CupPrint and FLYERALARM is a collaboration between two innovative European companies that are demonstrating their environmental awareness and responsibility by offering sustainable solutions to end users.

Irish President Michael D. Higgins said in Berlin: “Irish industry is increasingly focusing on trade with European partners. Today’s event, taking place in the heart of Germany, in the heart of Europe, is proof of this”.

Terry Fox founded CupPrint in 2009 – just one year later the company expanded and opened a European sales office in Germany.

Terry Fox discovered a gap in the market through his many years of experience in high-speed commercial printing and packaging: The production capacities of the printed paper cup lines did not match the needs of the market, which consisted mainly of small cafés. “In particular, the high standard order volumes and long delivery times are a competitive disadvantage for smaller catering companies,” explains Terry Fox.

“CupPrint has therefore set itself the task of serving the market even in small print runs and accelerating the ordering process with the help of the latest technologies – including the possibility of digital 3D design preview”. Orders are accepted from a quantity of a thousand cups with a maximum delivery time of 15 days.

In 2013, Enterprise Ireland, Ireland’s government trade and innovation agency, established the contact between CupPrint and FLYERALARM: “We are delighted to be working with CupPrint to further expand our already broad portfolio of cups – for coffee enjoyment with a clear conscience,” says Pascal Ritter, Head of Give Aways at FLYERALARM.

Julie Sinnamon, CEO of Enterprise Ireland, continues: “CupPrint is a good example of how an ambitious Irish SME makes innovative products for an international market – and demand continues to grow”.

About CupPrint

Established in 2009, CupPrint specialise in short run, fast turnaround, customised paper cup printing. A service that was previously only available to large volume buyers. The Ennis-based company have manufacturing operations in Co. Clare, Ireland and The United States, as well as a European Sales Office in Germany. The CupPrint range includes the first and only cup that’s designed to be recycled in regular waste processing plants. In 2018 this product was awarded ‘Triple A’ certification by the Institute cyclos-HTP in conjunction with the German Green Dot scheme, which is recognised throughout Europe. CupPrint’s offering allows smaller businesses, such as those with limited storage space, to present their brand on bespoke paper cups and to demonstrate their commitment to sustainable values if required. Customised cups are also attractive to event organisers, for in-house brand use or promotional merchandise resellers. Now with 160 employees, CupPrint have enjoyed solid growth in recent years and, in 2018, joined forces with global food service packaging giant Huhtamaki.

• cupprint.ie

• cupprint.co.uk

• us.cupprint.com

Über FYLERALARM

FLYERALARM ist eine der führenden Online-B2B-Druckereien in Europa und eines der größten deutschen E-Commerce-Unternehmen. Seit 2002 zeigen die Würzburger Druckspezialisten, wie intelligent die Bestellung von Druckprodukten sein kann. Heute beschäftigt FLYERALARM mehr als 2.300 Mitarbeiter und erzielte 2018 einen Umsatz von mehr als 350 Millionen Euro. Das Unternehmen ist bereits in 15 Ländern vertreten, die alle mit Papierbechern aus Ennis, Co. Clare in Irland, versorgt werden.

FLYERALARM

Über Enterprise Ireland

Enterprise Ireland ist eine Organisation der irischen Regierung zur Wirtschaftsförderung. Sie arbeitet eng mit irischen Unternehmen zusammen, um ihnen zu helfen, globale Märkte zu erschließen sowie zu wachsen, Innovationen voranzutreiben und Exporte zu steigern. Enterprise Ireland kooperiert mit Unternehmern, irischen Firmen, Forschungseinrichtungen und Investoren, um den Außenhandel, die Innovationsstärke, Führungsrolle und Wettbewerbsfähigkeit Irlands voranzutreiben. Auf diese Weise unterstützt die Organisation nachhaltiges Wirtschaftswachstum und regionale Entwicklung. Zudem trägt Enterprise Ireland aktiv dazu bei, Beschäftigung in Irland zu schaffen und zu halten.
Enterprise Ireland