McDonald’s and Starbucks, two major players in the food and beverage industry, have joined forces in developing a completely recyclable drinking cup.
This initiative aims to reduce environmental impact by reducing the amount of nonrecyclable plastic waste, meeting consumer demand for eco-friendly, sustainable options as well as the demands of environmental groups like Stand.earth, which has led demonstrations protesting both companies’ use of nonrecyclable plastic packaging.
Renowned environmental science leaders insist that our planet will no longer be able to sustain human life if we don’t curb our environmentally abusive habits, and the continuous use of nonbiodegradable and nonrecyclable materials is pushing consumers and businesses alike to change their habits.
The Environmental Impact of Plastic Cups and Straws
McDonald’s and Starbucks aim to significantly limit the use of nonrecyclable plastic packaging and plastic straws without limiting the overall convenience of single-use packaging. Single-use plastic cups, plastic-coated paper cups, and plastic straws — the staple packaging products of McDonald’s, Starbucks, and other food chains the world over — are not completely recyclable, and often wind up in landfills or in the oceans.
Most waste processing facilities aren’t equipped with machinery capable of fully processing plastic waste — especially small, lightweight items like straws that usually drop through mechanical sorting screens. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states that just 12% of plastic waste is completely recycled. And nonrecyclable plastic materials can take up to 1,000 years to reach a state of complete decomposition.
Joining the Green Team
McDonald’s and Starbucks have gone beyond just paying lip service to the idea of 100% recyclable packaging, forming the NextGen Cup Consortium with additional funding from the private investment group Closed Loop Partners.
McDonald’s and Starbucks have each contributed $5 million to the fund, and Closed Loop Partners has $100 million in funding dedicated to improving local recycling facilities. Successful implementation of this initiative will require the use of multiple resources.
The NextGen Cup Consortium is not an exclusive group; other companies are welcome to pursue the same initiative. It’s an incentivized program that pushes participants to design a 100% compostable (recyclable) hot and cold cup that will be market-ready within three years.
The program’s main objectives include:
- Commercializing reuse and recovery solutions for environmentally friendly single-use hot and cold paper cups
- Making sure that single-use cups are composed of materials that are completely recyclable
- Limiting the use of raw materials
- Promoting reusability
A select few participants with the best designs will be awarded up to $1 million in grant funding based on certain criteria, and will also have the opportunity to enter a six-month acceleration program to fine-tune their designs.
Starbucks has promised to create a more environmentally friendly cup twice before, but failed to meet the expectations of environmentally conscious consumers. Partnering with McDonald’s to complete this new initiative may prove to be one of the best business decisions Starbucks has ever made.
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