How have they achieved it? It’s all in the lining and the sealing. “Technically, all cups with a PLA lining are recyclable but rarely are because it’s such an expensive and energy-intensive process to separate the components,” says Turton. Less than 1% of cups are recycled; the other 99% go to landfill or are incinerated. There’s also growing concern about microplastics – tiny plastic fragments that bypass filters and contaminate rivers and oceans, finding their way into the food chain.

NaturePac’s new cups will have industrial compostability certification and will look like current cups. The only difference is they will be restricted to liquids up to 92 ̊C (anything hotter will weaken their rigidity), but for coffee this is not an issue. In testing the ‘sticking point’ has been on sealing the cups; traditionally, disposable cups have a two seals created by melting the plastic liner. NaturePac’s challenge was to find a factory that could create two watertight seals without PLA or plastic. “The aqueous coating is a heck of a lot more difficult to create a permanent seal,” Turton says.

Alongside the technology behind the cups, much of the development has involved working with local councils and waste management companies on closed loop systems for operators and consumers to feed into. Education is key, believes Turton, whose team focuses on explaining to customers about the differences between biodegradable, compostable and recyclable. “One of the key values will be teaching the public that the cup doesn’t need any special treatment,” says Turton. Including compostable and recyclable symbols on the cups, that are instantly recognisable by consumers, is also crucialto convey the message. “On the bottom of the cup we’ll put our paper recycling symbols and make it blatantly obviously on the cup face too. We will be highlighting the fact that there is absolutely no plastic in it.”

Turton says customers usually fall into two camps, “Those who clearly see the benefits for both the environment and their business. The second is initially sceptical but when you start educating around it, price becomes less of an issue,” he says. And with a wholesale price at anegligible 1-2 pence more per cup, most
operators find they are happy to cover it. 

For now, cup lids will remain as NaturePac’s compostable PLA range – they have explored other options but weren’t happy with the way they attach to the cups – and after rolling out their cups, they will turn to the lids.
It’s all about taking small steps in the right direction. As Turton summarises, “Instead of one person doing things perfectly, let’s have everyone doing things imperfectly.”