Press release PHI Factory: the most sustainable reusable coffee cup

Press release PHI Factory: the most sustainable reusable coffee cup

The coffee cup, it is perhaps the hottest topic of conversation at the coffee machine right now. And that has everything to do with the laws and regulations surrounding the elimination of single use plastics (SUP). This includes the single-use coffee cup, which often consists of paper with a plastic coating that is then incinerated after single use. As of Jan. 1, 2024, there will be a ban on the single-use cup where there is "on-site consumption. This means that a reusable cup will become the norm in the workplace.

This article previously appeared on www.versnellingshuisce.nl. Image: www.versnellingshuisce.nl.

The impact

In the Netherlands about 3-5 billion coffee cups are thrown away every year, often after single use. So the impact of this is huge. In the search for the most sustainable coffee cup, the KoffiebekerPact came into being: a collaboration between 67 parties in the coffee (cup) chain: from producer to supplier and from user to processor. These parties have committed themselves to achieving the most sustainable coffee cup.

With the reusable versus disposable cup debate settled from a legislative perspective came the question: what is the most sustainable reusable cup? To answer this question, the Coffee Cup Pact, courtesy of the Acceleration House Netherlands Circular!, transformed into a Moonshot trajectory in May 2022.

The results

The study examined seven materials according to a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) design with a production, use and processing phase.

The main conclusions are:

• The lightweight cup made of the material Polypropylene (PP) has the lowest impact in the production phase. Ceramic and Stainless Steel (SS) have the highest environmental impact.

• This survey shows that there is a high level of support among users for the introduction of reusable cups (89% respondents are neutral or positive towards it).

• The washing up of the reusable cup is potentially a significant proportion of the total environmental impact of the cup. Thus, it is recommended to reduce this impact during the use phase by keeping the frequency of washing as low as possible and using green electricity.

• Reusable cups are cheaper on an annual basis than single-use cups.

• Finally, pilots find that lightweight PP cups have low drinking convenience and a low return rate.

• Most important observation in processing is that often no monostreams or a return process has been set up yet, the cups still end up in residual waste and are incinerated.

There are two main indicators that determine the degree of sustainability of the material and cup. The environmental impact at the production stage and the return rate.

PP cup without additives scores best

The cup made of Polypropylene (PP), has the lowest environmental impact. Here, the lightweight variant without additives comes out best. But if we include the return rate in the analysis, the PP cup (heavy) emerges as the best. Due to the low return rate of the PP cup (light), 35% additional cups are needed for replacement, which results in a heavier environmental impact. A low return rate can be explained by defects and the cups are also sometimes thrown in the trash by consumers. No deposit was tested.

A cup made of glass emerges as a good number two. Given its high drinking convenience from a user perspective, this could be a good alternative.