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CupPrint announces license agreement with Smart Planet Technologies to produce reCUP™ recyclable paper cup for UK market
New paper cup technology will provide UK and EU markets with paper cup engineered to be recyclable in standard paper recycling systems
Newport Beach, CA, USA. – May 12, 2017 – CupPrint, a leading manufacturer of paper cups for the UK and EU markets, has licensed the reCUP paper cup technology, and will introduce reCUP in the EU and UK markets to further address the issue of the lack of paper cup recycling.
CupPrint plans to announce a General Availability date of the reCUP paper cup for the EU and UK markets shortly. The reCUP will be available for order at http://www.cupprint.com
Traditionally, paper cups are coated with polyethylene and other polymers to seal the cup and hold the liquid contents. However, these plastic coatings are incompatible with traditional paper recycling systems, and therefore recyclers typically sort paper cups from waste and recycling collection, and divert the cups to landfill. In 2016, it was reported in the UK that only one in 400 paper cups were recycled.
Since that time, some coffeehouses have instituted in-store collection of paper cups for recycling by the few specialist recyclers that can recycle traditional paper cups using additional processes. However, it is estimated that over 80% of paper cups from a coffeehouse are used for take-away and therefore not collected in a store’s waste bin, and will not make it into an in-store paper cup recycling program. This leaves the vast majority of paper cups to be received by standard residential and commercial waste collection, and typically diverted to landfill.
The reCUP is engineered to be fully processable by standard recycling systems, allowing for the paper materials to be recovered efficiently and economically to be reused in premium recycled paper packaging. Therefore, the reCUP provides a technology with the potential to address the recycling of all paper cups with an optimal outcome.
About CupPrint CupPrint is a leading manufacturer of paper cups for sale in UK and Europe. CupPrint’s investment in innovative technologies has revolutionized the paper cup market in the last 7 years. CupPrint’s low minimum orders and fast turnaround times has made it possible for even small coffee shops and business to have their own branded paper cups. Cupprint produces designs of unrivaled quality with high resolution printing, unique materials, and bespoke foil stamping/embossing techniques which have helped give even large brands more options when it comes to new design opportunities.
About Smart Planet Technologies Smart Planet Technologies is a materials R&D company focused on sustainability for the packaging industry. Through innovation, their technologies are focused to conserve precious natural resources and provide high quality, environmental alternatives to a wide variety of rigid, flexible and corrugated packaging applications.
Smart Planet Technologies’ reCUP paper cup to be trialed by Costa Coffee in support of their recyclable paper cup initiatives in the UK
Newport Beach, CA, USA March 21, 2017 -- Smart Planet Technologies announces that Costa is evaluating the reCUP™ for a new takeaway cup solution to improve acceptability of paper cups for out-of-store collection and recycling.
Traditionally, paper cups have been coated on the interior with polyethylene or other plastics, to form the cup and hold liquid contents. However, this has made paper cups difficult to recycle in standard paper recycling processes. Therefore, paper cups are usually separated and sorted for landfill at standard recycling facilities in the UK.
To address the problem, in the first quarter of 2017, Costa has implemented an in-store recycling scheme for its 2,000 store locations, bringing the cups to the few specialist recycling centers in the UK that can accept paper cups.
Now, Costa Coffee is addressing challenges in out-of-store recycling by conducting a comprehensive evaluation of the reCUP to improve the processability and acceptance of paper cups in standard recycling facilities across the UK, while maintaining the performance standards of Costa Coffee’s iconic takeaway paper cup. The evaluation will also validate the acceptance of reCUP paper cup technology under UK and EU regulations for paperboard packaging.
The reCUP paper cup utilizes EarthCoating as its interior coating, a mineralized resin coating engineered to be fully repulpable and processable in traditional paper recycling processes and equipment. This innovation can unlock the value in recycling paper cups for the recycling industry to potentially avert the practice of paper cups being directed to landfill. The reCUP is commercially available in the US. For more information or to place an order, visit the recup.earth website.
About Smart Planet Technologies Smart Planet Technologies is a materials engineering company focused on sustainability for the packaging industry. Our innovative technologies are focused to conserve precious natural resources and provide high quality, environmental alternatives across a wide variety of packaging applications. The reCUP is covered in multiple countries under intellectual property rights owned by Smart Planet Technologies. For more information, visit smartplanettech.com
Simply Cups to recover and recycle Smart Planet Technologies’ breakthrough paper coffee cup
Simply Cups, the UK’s ONLY workable cup recycling scheme, has entered into a relationship with Smart Planet Technologies (SPT) to recover and recycle the ground-breaking ‘reCUP’ hot beverage paper cup that can be recycled at traditional paper mills.
Designed in California, USA, the reCUP looks and performs exactly the same as those cups currently in use at UK coffee outlets. The big advantage, however, is that the inside coating is blended with minerals, so its plastic content is reduced by up to 50%, and means that the cup is engineered to be compatible with the existing recycling equipment used at UK paper mills. This, for the first time, will provide consumers, businesses and the hospitality industry with a cup that can be more widely recycled, and is expected to be sold, at a cost comparable with traditional paper cups, through 4 Aces in the UK. 4 Aces is also a founding member of the Simply Cups scheme.
“The first step in resolving the lack of paper cup recycling is to give the recycling industry a paper cup worth recycling”, says Will Lorenzi, President of Smart Planet Technologies. “Once the coating is no longer an obstacle to recycling, a paper cup becomes a valuable material to recycle”.
“We have substantiated that our cup material can be processed through standard paper mill recycling infrastructure and our relationship with Simply Cups will provide assurance to businesses and consumers that the reCUP will meet its ‘recyclable’ commitment”, added Will.
Commenting on the relationship, Peter Goodwin, co-founder of Simply Cups, said;
“SPT has rightly recognised that, for its products to be recycled, they first need to be collected separately at source and then forwarded to a paper reprocessing plant. As the only organisation in the UK operating this service, Simply Cups was the obvious choice ”.
Now, when the reCUP is sold in the UK, membership to Simply Cups scheme will also provide a dedicated collection service for the cup – either by bag or by bale – which will then be routed to paper mills that have approved the product for acceptance under the same criteria, and value, as other paper products.
“We have been looking for the most efficient way to resolve the problem of recycling paper cups and a new cup that can be processed through existing recycling equipment is a major step in the right direction,” says Chris Penn, managing director of 4 Aces.
“We are committed to greater sustainability in disposable packaging and so we’re enormously excited to be integral in the roll out of the game-changing reCUP in the UK”, commented Chris.
Notes to Editors:
About Simply Cups Simply Cups, a partnership between Closed Loop Environmental Solutions and Simply Waste Solutions, is the UK’s only workable paper cup recovery and recycling service.
Launched in August 2014, the service now provides paper cup manufacturers, organisations operating in the supply chain as well as beverage and hospitality outlets, with a cost-efficient collection and recycling service that will reduce their operating costs and improve their environmental credentials.
Founding members of the scheme include Costa Coffee, Bunzl Catering Services, BaxterStorey, ISS Facility Services, Huhtamaki, Benders Paper Cups, 4Aces, Dart Products Europe and Maxabel International
4Aces to trial the reCUP, a new paper cup designed to be recycled
Popu
lar packaging specialist, 4 Aces, a member of the Paper Cup Recovery and Recycling Group (PCRRG), will partner with Smart Planet Technologies to trial its reCUP, a paper cup designed to be recycled, for use in the UK market to address the issues with the recycling of paper cups.
Smart Planet Technologies of Newport Beach California has created the reCUP, a new type of paper cup, engineered for recycling and commercially available today in the US. The paper cup looks the same and works the same, but the coating is blended with minerals to reduce the plastic content by 40% and to make the cup compatible with standard recycling equipment. These cups then become a valuable material to collect and the recycling industry can go about the processes to recover them and recycle them profitably for use in recycled paperboard packaging.
“We have been looking for the most efficient way to resolve the problem of recycling paper cups and a new cup that can be processed through existing recycling equipment is a big first step in the right direction,” says Chris Penn, managing director of 4 Aces. “4 Aces is committed to greater sustainability in disposable packaging and we’re excited to see if we have found the missing piece when it comes to getting paper cups recycled effectively.”
“The first step in solving the paper cup recycling problem is to give the recycling industry a paper cup worth recycling”, says Will Lorenzi, President of Smart Planet Technologies. “We have been impressed by the commitment and effort by 4 Aces to lead on this issue on behalf of the industry and for the UK.”
Paper cups are a convenient, environmental packaging solution for coffee however the cups have a plastic liner coating on the interior to protect the paper from the liquid in the cup. The plastic liner coating is incompatible with paper recycling systems, so paper cups are generally sorted for landfill. It is estimated that more than 2.5 billion coffee cups are disposed of in the UK every year.
4 Aces was a participant in the release of the Paper Cup Manifesto, a statement of commitment by industry leaders to address the issue of recycling of paper cups, as highlighted on Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall’s War on Waste documentary, broadcast by the BBC.
For further information on 4 Aces and its products, visit the company’s website at www.4acesltd.com or call 01992 535774.
Press enquiries, please contact: Liz Taylor liz@tailored-creative.co.uk 07968 868499
Notes to editors
4 Aces supplies a full range of plastic and paper cups, food packaging and water cooler products to a mix of customers in the vending, HoReCa and water cooler markets. Best prices and a tailored service are responsible for the company’s constantly expanding customer base and 35 per cent year on year growth. Having retained core staff, customers and suppliers since the business launched, 4 Aces prides itself on its ability to build relationships as well as the breadth of choice and the quality of the products that it offers.
Hansol Paper and Smart Planet announce commercial introduction of high-barrier-performance folding carton packaging with optimal recyclability label for fabric softener sheets
SEOUL, Korea and Newport Beach, CA — December 21, 2016 — Hansol Paper and Smart Planet Technologies announce commercial introduction of high-barrier-performance folding carton packaging for fabric softener sheets with Seventh Generation that qualifies for the optimal recyclability label.
Traditionally, paperboard packaging containing foils, films, coatings, or laminates for barrier fall into various recyclability categories, depending upon potential contamination to the paper recycling process from these barrier treatments. Hansol Paper’s Hi-Q Eco(B) paperboard is comprised of 100% recycled fiber with Smart Planet Technologies’ EarthCoating® interior barrier coating. EarthCoating provides the required barrier properties, yet contains less plastic than traditional low-density polyethylene coatings, and is engineered to be compatible with the paper recycling process. Hi-Q Eco(B) is repulpable and recyclable, and qualifies folding carton packaging for fabric softener sheets for the optimal “Widely Recycled” label from How2Recycle.
Seventh Generation has successfully transitioned its packaging for fabric softener sheets to Hansol Hi-Q Eco(B). The change in packaging materials for Seventh Generation has enabled upgrading this package to the coveted “Widely Recycled” label within the How2Recycle program. The improvement in packaging is reflective of Seventh Generation’s mission to inspire a more conscious and sustainable world by being an authentic force for positive change. The new package labeling will be found on store shelves in Q1 2017.
Wal-Mart best practice guidelines encourage the use of the How2Recycle label to help customers recycle. As stated in the guidelines, when brand owners label packaging with the How2Recycle label, they demonstrate to Wal-Mart and consumers a commitment to sustainability.
For press inquiries, contact:
Todd Gasparik Smart Planet Technologies Todd@SmartPlanetTech.com 949.610.7063