There are a lot of things folks don’t know when they’re purchasing paper coffee cups. Here’s what you should be looking for if you’re trying to make sustainable choices when purchasing your paper coffee cups.

#1 – Do you need to be using disposable cups in the first place?

A lot of folks who purchase paper coffee cups simply don’t need to be buying them. They’re purchasing the cups for an office or an area where there is just not a large throughput of traffic. If this is the case, you should be using a re-usable mug or container. Paper coffee cups are needed for “to-go” purposes at cafes where they can’t be handing out ceramic mugs that cost $1 a pop to folks who aren’t going to return the mugs. They’re also needed at some events and venues where there is just such a high throughput of people that it’s not economically feasible for a business to carry & maintain (i.e. wash) re-usable mugs.

Studies have been conducted to compare the environmental footprint of re-usable cups vs. paper coffee cups. Typically, manufacturing a re-usable mug takes more energy then manufacturing a paper coffee cup. The break-even point at which a re-usable coffee cup becomes more environmentally friendly than a paper coffee cup is actually quite low though – just 24 uses.¹

If you’re in an office space, we definitely recommend pushing your co-workers to use a re-usable mug. You’ll be doing some good for the environment in less than a month :-).

#2 – Is the paper in the cup recycled or is it FSC certified?

Virgin paper has a significantly higher environmental footprint than recycled paper. Run a few calculations over at the Environmental Defense Fund’s Paper Calculator to see the numbers for yourself. Increasing recycled content in your cup results in a direct 1:1 drop in the amount of wood used (e.g., using cups with 50% recycled content as opposed to 0% requires 50% less wood) as well as reductions in the amount of energy used, waste water, and solid waste (these reductions are not 1:1, but are still significant at anywhere from 1:5 to 1:3).

Similarly, paper that is FSC certified comes from well managed forests which means that the forests are managed according to the strictest sustainability standards, which include:

• Strong forest and environmental protection standards
• Requiring protection of old growth and endangered forests
• Establishing limits on large-scale clear cutting
• Encouraging forestry practices that reduce toxic chemical use
• Strong community protection standards
• Consistently protecting native peoples rights

And that’s just naming a few.

#3 – Is the Paper PCF or ECF?

PCF standards for processed chlorine free. ECF stands for elemental chlorine free.

Why is it important to purchase paper that is PCF or ECF? White paper bleached with Chlorine and Chlorine Dioxide emits dioxins and other organochlorides into the air and water. These toxins get into the food chain and accumulate in the fat cells of animals. Through consumption, dioxin moves up the food chain and reach their highest concentration in the animals who are at the top of the food chain. As you would guess, humans occupy one of these slots. Once in our bodies, dioxin help cause diabetes, endometriosis, immune system suppression, infertility and cancer.

#4 – Are the paper coffee cups compostable?

If you can compost your paper coffee cups than you are eliminating the solid waste created by these cups.

Paper coffee cups can be certified compostable according to standards ASTM D6400 and EN13432. The simplest way to check whether a brand of cups is certified compostable is to check the Biodegradable Products Institute’s list of approved food service products.

It’s also important to note that cups that are lined with PE, polyethelyne, are not accepted by 90% of composting facilities that accept food waste (as the PE contaminates the compost). There are cups out there that are lined with PE and have been greenwashing and claiming to be compostable (see Perfectouch Hot Cups). Be sure to steer clear of these cups if you’re planning on composting your paper coffee cups.

Hope they’re helpful!

(PS – Do you have a 5th question we should be asking? Drop it in the comments and share it with our community)

References:
1) Ask Pablo. Disposable Cups vs. Reusable Mugs.

Looking to make a purchase? Check out our BPI certified 100% compostable coffee cups and compostable plastic cups.

So as we’ve mentioned, we’ve come to a conclusion recently that a large knowledge gap exists regarding biodegradable food packaging products and biodegradable cups.

We recently wrote up a buyer’s guide on compostable cold cups. We encourage you to read this guide first as it will give you the foundational buying knowledge you need when it comes to purchasing biodegradable cups.

UPDATE (8/3/2010): Viv Video Highlighting 4 Tips for Purchasing Biodegradable Cups

In this post we will focus on highlighting new criteria / information that you should be aware of specifically for biodegradable coffee cups.

Biodegradable Coffee Cups

Here’s what all purchasing managers need to know / evaluate when purchasing biodegradable cups and biodegradable coffee cups.

1. Price – This is again the most important factor for most organizations when it comes to purchasing biodegradable coffee cups. Again, we believe we have the best pricing available for small businesses, and as such, we encourage you to look around as pricing does vary widely.

2. Quality – Biodegradable coffee cup molds do not vary as profoundly as do molds for cold cups, and thus biodegradable coffee cups tend to be of similar quality. We do find that some are a bit more sturdy than others, but on the whole, quality is very similar across these biodegradable cups.

3. Design / Labeling – Again, labeling that identifies the biodegradable cups as 100% compostable is highly important. For more on why, please refer back to our buyer’s guide for compostable cold cups.

I’d like to focus here though on two very very important design aspects that many new-to-eco purchasers are not aware of.

1. Inner Lining of Biodegradable Cups – DO NOT PURCHASE BIODEGRADABLE COFFEE CUPS THAT HAVE A POLYETHYLENE (PE) OR PETROLEUM-BASED LINING.The vast majority of commercial composting facilities will not accept these cups as they contaminate compost¹. ONLY PURCHASE BIODEGRADABLE CUPS THAT ARE SPECIFICALLY LABELED AS CONTAINING A “BIO-BASED” OR “BIO-PLASTIC” LINING. If the cups don’t say this, they’re probably lined with PE.
2. Sustainable Design – Truly eco-friendly paper hot cups should also be:
   • Made from high-levels of post-consumers recycled content
   • FSC, Forest Stewardship Council, certified as coming from well managed forests, and
   • ECF, elemental chlorine free, or PCF, processed chlorine free.

There are many biodegradable coffee cups out there today claiming to be compostable & eco-friendly and they are not. They’re lined with polyethelyne and are not made with high-levels of recycled content, FSC-certified, or PCF/ECF. We highly recommend steering clear of these cups.

4. Applications – Biodegradable coffee cups can be filled with any liquid, cold or hot. Typical uses by size that we’ve seen include:

• 8oz, 10oz, 12oz, 16oz, 20oz – Coffee, Tea
• 4oz, 6oz – Espresso, Tastings of hot beverages, Warm Sake

5. Compostability – Again, per our previous guide on cold cups make sure that the biodegradable cups you purchase are 100% compostable and are certified by the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI).

Hopefully you’ve found the information helpful.

If you’d like, you can check out our compostable hot cups (from World Centric).

And If you have other things that you think we’ve missed or that you look for in biodegradable cups, please do add them in the comments.

About the Author: Dinesh is a co-founder of the Viv Biz Club, and has worked with hundreds of business owners and/or purchasing managers regarding their compostable needs. The Viv Biz Club works with a wide range of organizations, including: restaurants, cafes, schools, churches, farms, beverage companies, start-ups, in more than 30 states across the country.

Notes:
1) In a recent study commissions by the Sustainable Packaging Coalition it was found that only 8.3% of commericial composting facilities that accept food packaging also accept coffee cups with polyethylene (PE) lining (vs. 80% acceptance for biodegradable coffee cups lined with a bio-plastic like poly-lactic acid).

So as we speak to more and more of our food service businesses about their purchasing needs, one thing has become very clear – there’s a major knowledge gap regarding compostable food packaging products.

Folks want to switch over to compostables, but they have many unanswered questions:

• Am I getting a good price?
• Will the products actually compost?
• How strong are the products?

… the list goes on.

As such, we thought it’d be worthwhile for us to write up buyer’s guides for a few of the most popular products. So without further ado…

Compostable Cups

There are a variety of compostable cups in the market. Today we’re going to focus exclusively on Compostable Cold Cups. We’ll cover off on Hot Cups in a later post.

Compostable Cold Corn Cups

Here’s what all purchasing managers need to know / evaluate when purchasing their compostable corn cups.

1. Price – Quite honestly this is the most important factor for most organizations when it comes to purchasing cups. Compostable corn cups tend to be more expensive than plastic or styrofoam, so the important comparisons are between vendors of compostable food ware. We’ve done price comparisons before and perhaps we’re a bit biased, but on the whole I think for small businesses we have the best pricing in the business. That being said, a few quick google searches for “compostable cold cups” should pull up a number of vendors whose prices you can compare.

2. Quality – Almost all compostable corn cups are made from PLA – poly-lactic acid derived from corn starch. As of now, I have not seen any compostable cold cups in the market that claim to be specifically from non-GMO corn. If you know of one however, please drop me an email at Partners@VivBizClub.com.

Some cold cups have a very thick mold, some are thinner. Thicker cups tend to be a bit more expensive, so you need to decide what’s right for your organization. Once you’ve done that, the best thing to do is order samples or small packs of cups to make sure they’ll work for your purposes.

3. Design / Labeling – This is very important and I think overlooked by most businesses. Compostable cups need to have very clear labeling that states that the cup is “100% compostable.” This is important for two reasons: a) so that consumers place the cups in a composting bin – not in a waste or recycling bin, and b) so that even if the cup accidentally ends up in a recycling bin (which inevitable happens), they can be identified when at a recycling facility and removed so that they do not contaminate the recycling (that’s right folks – compostable plastics can not be recycled! – they contaminate recycling as they melt at high heats and must be put in a home composter or sent to a composting facility). Most municipalities prefer that the “100% Compostable” labeling is green in color to make sorting even easier.

4. Applications – There’s a reason they’re called Cold Cups. They’re not for use with hot liquids. PLA starts to melt at temperatures north of 110 degrees F (cups should also not be stored in a particularly hot environment). Any cold food or beverage will be fine though and typical uses by size that I’ve seen include:

• 12oz, 14oz, 16oz, 20oz – Beer, Water, Smoothies, Lemonade, Soda
• 9oz squat, 9oz, 7oz – Cocktails and Wine
• 5oz, 6oz, 7oz – Frozen Yogurt, Yogurt & Granola, Rinsing Solution @ Medical Offices (interestingly enough I’ve started seeing a trend of eco-minded dental & orthodontists offices using the 5oz as water / rinse cups)

5. Compostability – The simplest thing to do to make sure that the cups you purchase are 100% compostable is to make sure your vendor’s products are certified by the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI). In America, the standard for compostable plastics is ASTM-D6400. The BPI certifies that products meet this standard.

Once you’re sure that the product is 100% compostable it’s important to actually compost it :-). If you’re not composting the cups, you’re missing out on a very large part of the environmental benefit associated with them. Vendors should have information available regarding approximate composting times for different composting environments. Compostable plastics should break down within 180 days in a commercial composting facility. In a home composting system they can take longer as home composting systems do not heat up as much as commercial systems. We definitely recommend using a commercial facility for the products if one is available in your region (remember – you can use services like Find A Composter to find a commercial composting facility that accepts compostable cups.

So hopefully you’ve found the information helpful.

If you’d like, you can check out our compostable cold cups (from World Centric).

And If you have other things that you think we’ve missed or that you look for in a compostable cold cup, please drop them in the comments.

About the Author: Dinesh is a co-founder of the Viv Biz Club, and has worked & spoken with hundreds of business owners and/or purchasing managers regarding their compostable needs. The Viv Biz Club works with a wide range of organizations (e.g., restaurants, cafes, schools, churches, farms, beverage companies, start-ups) in more than 30 states across the country.