NextGen Consortium Outlines Path Toward Circular Economy for Paper Cups in US | Sustainable Brands

Accelerating Paper Cup Recycling in the US: A Report by the NextGen Consortium

Introduction

This week, the NextGen Consortium — an industry collaboration managed by Closed Loop Partners aimed at eliminating single-use foodservice packaging waste by advancing the design, commercialization and recovery of alternative materials and use models — released a new report with practical steps to accelerating paper cup recycling in the US.

Closing the Loop on Cups assesses the role of each stakeholder across the paper cup-recovery value chain — including paper mills, materials-recovery facilities (MRFs), brands, consumers and local communities — and provides recommended actions to increase paper cup recovery opportunities and advance a more circular system.

The Challenge of Paper Cup Waste

Every day, millions of people around the world drink from paper cups. They’re safe, functional and convenient — so much so that globally, more than 250 billion cups are produced each year. But convenience comes with environmental consequences: Unrecyclable and non-biodegradable, thanks to a plastic inner liner that helps retain temperature and reduce seepage, the majority of paper cups end up in landfill. The NextGen Consortium proposes a three-pronged approach to address cup waste holistically:

1. Advancing reusable-cup systems that keep materials in circulation for multiple uses

2. Exploring material-science innovation that enhances the sustainability and recoverability of cup materials

3. Strengthening materials-recovery and -recycling infrastructure that recaptures cups after use

The Role of Stakeholders

In the new report, the Consortium — which includes founding partners Starbucks and McDonald’s; sector lead partners The Coca-Cola Company and PepsiCo; and supporting partners JDE Peet’s, The Wendy’s Company and Yum! Brands — highlights the need to strengthen existing materials-recovery and -recycling infrastructure systems to recapture more paper cups; which will ensure the value embodied in paper cups is recovered, rather than wasted in landfill. These cups contain high-quality fiber that is valuable to paper mills as other paper sources such as newsprint and office paper decline. While the challenges for paper-cup recovery and recycling are significant, collaboration among various stakeholders involved throughout the value chain can help address its scale and complexity.

Recommended Actions

“The waste generated from to-go paper cups has become a highly visible representation of our disposable, take-make-waste culture. However, these cups also are a valuable resource with growing opportunities for recovery,” says Kate Daly, Managing Director and Head of the Center for the Circular Economy at Closed Loop Partners. “We know that collaboration across stakeholders — from mills and MRFs to brands and cities — is going to be critical to solving this challenge and ensuring paper cups don’t end up in landfill or polluting our environment. The NextGen Consortium plays a key role in advancing the innovation, testing and partnerships needed to make this possible.”

Since its founding in 2018, the NextGen Consortium has taken a holistic and collaborative approach to addressing the challenge of single-use cup waste, advancing reuse models, exploring material-science innovations and strengthening materials-recovery and -recycling infrastructure that recaptures cups after use. While material reduction and reuse are key pathways to reduce reliance on virgin resource extraction, end-of-life recovery pathways are equally critical to ensure that the value embodied in all types of cups — including single-use paper cups — is recovered, rather than wasted in landfill.

Market Challenges and Opportunities

As companies and brands work to eliminate plastic and other single-use material waste from their operations, many understandably look to paper-based products for solutions. But although paper/paperboard has one of the higher recycling rates in the US at around 68 percent, that number comes from separated material. Many blended and composite materials (such as beverage cups) are hard, if not impossible, to adequately recycle with current technologies — and thus, they often languish in landfill.

Promising reusable and compostable solutions to the beverage-cup-recyclability problem are being piloted in various markets; but while we’re waiting for them to scale, Closing the Loop on Cups highlights key market challenges and corresponding opportunities, including:

• Today, only about 11 percent of communities accept cups in their recycling operations. This poses a significant barrier to cup recycling, as residents have few options to properly recycle their used cups.

• While only a handful of cities in the US officially accept cups in their recycling programs, the Foodservice Packaging Institute identified

  SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

  1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

  • SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
  • SDG 13: Climate Action
  • SDG 14: Life Below Water
  • SDG 15: Life on Land

  The article discusses the issue of paper cup waste and the need to increase paper cup recovery and recycling. This aligns with SDG 12, which aims to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns. By reducing waste and increasing recycling, the article also contributes to SDG 13, which focuses on climate action. Additionally, the article mentions the environmental consequences of paper cup waste, which relates to SDGs 14 and 15, which aim to protect life below water and life on land.

  2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

  • Target 12.5: By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling, and reuse.
  • Target 13.3: Improve education, awareness-raising, and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning.
  • Target 14.1: By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, particularly from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution.
  • Target 15.2: By 2020, promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests, and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally.

  Based on the article’s content, the specific targets that can be identified are related to waste reduction, climate change education, marine pollution prevention, and sustainable forest management.

  3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

  • Indicator 12.5.1: National recycling rate, tons of material recycled.
  • Indicator 13.3.1: Number of countries that have integrated mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning measures into national policies, strategies, and planning.
  • Indicator 14.1.1: Index of coastal eutrophication and floating plastic debris density.
  • Indicator 15.2.1: Progress towards sustainable forest management.

  The article does not explicitly mention these indicators, but they can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets. These indicators would provide data on recycling rates, integration of climate change measures into national policies, marine pollution levels, and progress in sustainable forest management.

  Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

  SDGs	Targets	Indicators
  SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production	Target 12.5: By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling, and reuse.	Indicator 12.5.1: National recycling rate, tons of material recycled.
  SDG 13: Climate Action	Target 13.3: Improve education, awareness-raising, and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning.	Indicator 13.3.1: Number of countries that have integrated mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning measures into national policies, strategies, and planning.
  SDG 14: Life Below Water	Target 14.1: By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, particularly from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution.	Indicator 14.1.1: Index of coastal eutrophication and floating plastic debris density.
  SDG 15: Life on Land	Target 15.2: By 2020, promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests, and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally.	Indicator 15.2.1: Progress towards sustainable forest management.

  Behold! This splendid article springs forth from the wellspring of knowledge, shaped by a wondrous proprietary AI technology that delved into a vast ocean of data, illuminating the path towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Remember that all rights are reserved by SDG Investors LLC, empowering us to champion progress together.

  Source: sustainablebrands.com

   

  

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