After a customer discards a fiber cup, the collection, processing and use of the cup’s raw material components is referred to as recovery. For the hot and cold fiber cup to be recoverable and kept out of landfills, its raw material components must have value to end markets that can use the materials and to the various businesses that would meet the needs of those markets. Recovery markets can include, but aren’t limited to, recycling and composting.
Globally, 250 billion hot and cold fiber cups are distributed each year––in cafes and restaurants, event venues, movie theaters, schools, hospitals and more. The public and private recovery infrastructures that serve these businesses, including waste carters and materials recovery facilities, varies widely across countries and regions. NextGen Cup seeks to identify recoverable solutions that accommodate various infrastructures, or are specific to one, and then commercialize new solutions so they work for the entire 250 billion fiber cup market and not just one company or application.
Wood fibers are typically cellulosic elements extracted from trees and used to make materials including paper. The hot and cold fiber cup, also called the paper cup, is typically a single-use, disposable cup comprised of fiber and wax or plastic linings to prevent leaks.
Designed to be used once, single-use packaging is used across markets and industries and is safe, functional and convenient. But with convenience comes negative environmental consequences including greenhouse gas emissions, ecosystem degradation and wasted resources. Single-use cups are a prevalent global waste issue. NextGen Cup’s search for recoverable fiber cup solutions can lead to opportunities applicable across the single-use packaging landscape.