Eco choices for printed cups and glasses: Where to Start? Start Here.

People want to do the right thing for the environment as well as the budget, so what material is best?

We know it is confusing, but you can make the best choice by considering how long-lasting you need the cups to be and what will happen to them on disposal.

 

Article summary:

1. Go for long-life in fixed venues.

2. Go re-usable if you can, but not if your cups will go missing.

3. If you can't wash, store and re-use, find out what materials your venue actively recycles.

4. If suitable, pick a cup made from recycled material to begin with.

5. If general waste is the only realistic outcome, pick a cup made from a plant-derived 'compostable' material.

6. Avoid 'breakthrough' plastics. These greenwashed 'litterable' plastics do more harm than good.

 

A quick word about 'miracle' plastics

We do not offer cups made from 'miracle' materials that claim to 'biodegrade' into nothing while concealing the harm they do to the environment. You will certainly find these options online, and if you can get past the tidal wave of greenwash, you will find that most of these cups are made from regular plastics with additives to make them degrade in to pollution that can never be recovered. Standards? Certifications? Often invalid. If you would like to look in to this further, here are some good places to start: 

UCL study flames oxo-biodegradable plastics controversy as industry denies greenwashing and sidesteps bans (Packaging Insights, June 2023)

Environmental organisations criticise BSI standard accrediting 'litterable' plastics (Packaging News 15th September 2020)

PAS 9017:2020 (BSI standard) Wildlife and Countryside Link response (July 2020). This standard has now been withdrawn, here.

 

Our Approach

We believe that there are ethical and logical criteria with which your client can make their choice, and our approach is to offer advice with which you can empower them. CupComs offers a range of materials and we can offer guidance on request.

 

Reduce, Re-use, Recycle 

This is still the best approach. For permanent venues, reusable plastic that can be washed hundreds of times then recycled is a very sustainable route. For premium events and locations, long-life glass-like materials like Tritan or polycarbonate may offer the best value and brand-fit.

This reusable cup uses an in-mould-label technique to give a CMYK flood print that will never fade or scratch.

This distinctive pint glass has an amazingly glasslike look but is shatterproof, and is good for 1000s of washes.

This custom-made plastic cup is pantone colour-matched with a matt finish and black print. Really nice.

 

But reusable cups are not always the best choice

Reusable cups and glasses are an investment that only pays off with re-use. If reusable cups are binned or lost, it is harmful to the budget as well as the environment. If the event space makes washing, storing, re-using difficult, recyclable cups may be the better option.

It sounds obvious but just choosing cups that are recyclable is not enough on its own. Yes, the cups have to be recyclable, but there also has to be recycling taking place. If there is the opportunity to recycle, go for plastic-free paper cups or PET (bottle plastic). Plastic glasses are a relatively uncontaminated source of PET so recycled cups have a high chance of being made in to something new.

And finally, can you choose cups made from PET that has already been recycled (rPET)?  After all, recycling only works if we buy and use products made from recycled material.

This Guinness-printed glass is made from 100% recycled plastic.

We have these stock-printed recycled cups available for sale.

100% recycled cups can be printed in up to eight colours.

 

So what to do when you reusable cups do not make sense but there is no recycling?

Sometimes the reality of the situation is that the cups will end up in general waste black bin bags. But all is not lost. You can advise your client that the environmental harm can be mitigated by using plant-derived plastic cups (otherwise known as 'compostable' or PLA).

While there is some PR value in having 'compostable' embossed on the side of the cup, the actual benefit of compostable cups has not much to do with their compostability*. Rather, it is because the plastic comes from plants not oil. Being a plant-derived plastic, PLA is sustainable, and has a lower carbon footprint than fossil based plastic because it sequestrates carbon on disposal. So even in the least favourable scenario, we can offer a material solution that mitigates the environmental impact. We think this is a benefit worth having.

This printed water cooler cup is made from plant-derived plastic.

Many of our PLA cups are embossed 'compostable'.

Another compostable cup with an attractive print.

 

So in conclusion,  we recommend re-usable cups first and recycling where possible. But at events and locations where the cups are heading for general waste and there is nothing you can do, PLA (plant-derived-plastic) may be the more environmentally friendly choice.