Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 119 views

    Taking A Closer Look at Paper Cups For Coffee PDF

    Uploaded by

    mariannecrg
    The document summarizes the key findings of a life cycle analysis study on paper cups. The study found that: 1) A paper cup accounts for only 4% of the carbon footprint of a take-away coffee, with the coffee and milk production contributing far more. 2) Paper cups have a lower carbon footprint than ceramic cups in cafes if the ceramic cups are not washed efficiently or cannot be reused at least 350 times. 3) Reusable plastic cups need to be used at least 20 times to have a lower footprint than single-use paper cups, while reusable steel cups require 130 uses. 4) Recycling paper cups significantly reduces their carbon footprint - by 54% for regular

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Taking A Closer Look at Paper Cups For Coffee PDF

    Uploaded by

    mariannecrg
    119 views8 pages
    The document summarizes the key findings of a life cycle analysis study on paper cups. The study found that: 1) A paper cup accounts for only 4% of the carbon footprint of a take-away coffee, with the coffee and milk production contributing far more. 2) Paper cups have a lower carbon footprint than ceramic cups in cafes if the ceramic cups are not washed efficiently or cannot be reused at least 350 times. 3) Reusable plastic cups need to be used at least 20 times to have a lower footprint than single-use paper cups, while reusable steel cups require 130 uses. 4) Recycling paper cups significantly reduces their carbon footprint - by 54% for regular

    Original Title

    taking-a-closer-look-at-paper-cups-for-coffee.pdf

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    The document summarizes the key findings of a life cycle analysis study on paper cups. The study found that: 1) A paper cup accounts for only 4% of the carbon footprint of a take-away coffee, with the coffee and milk production contributing far more. 2) Paper cups have a lower carbon footprint than ceramic cups in cafes if the ceramic cups are not washed efficiently or cannot be reused at least 350 times. 3) Reusable plastic cups need to be used at least 20 times to have a lower footprint than single-use paper cups, while reusable steel cups require 130 uses. 4) Recycling paper cups significantly reduces their carbon footprint - by 54% for regular

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    119 views8 pages

    Taking A Closer Look at Paper Cups For Coffee PDF

    Uploaded by

    mariannecrg
    The document summarizes the key findings of a life cycle analysis study on paper cups. The study found that: 1) A paper cup accounts for only 4% of the carbon footprint of a take-away coffee, with the coffee and milk production contributing far more. 2) Paper cups have a lower carbon footprint than ceramic cups in cafes if the ceramic cups are not washed efficiently or cannot be reused at least 350 times. 3) Reusable plastic cups need to be used at least 20 times to have a lower footprint than single-use paper cups, while reusable steel cups require 130 uses. 4) Recycling paper cups significantly reduces their carbon footprint - by 54% for regular

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    You are on page 1of 8

    Life cycle analysis study Taking a closer look at paper cups for coffee

    Taking a closer look at


    paper cups for coffee
    Key findings
    Like all food packaging, the carbon footprint
    of a paper cup is small compared to the
    food itself.
    In most every-day scenarios, a paper cup
    has the lowest carbon footprint and is
    always a hygienic choice.
    Recycling drives lower greenhouse gas
    emissions. When recycled the carbon
    footprint of a paper cup falls by a significant
    54%. If a traditional paper cup is swapped
    for Huhtamaki’s FutureSmart paper cup
    and is also recycled, the footprint falls by
    64%.
    Paper cups are always the best choice for
    the climate if ceramic alternatives aren’t
    washed efficiently.

    This report presents the results of


    a life cycle analysis (LCA) study on
    paper cups, which was carried out by
    VTT Technical Research Centre of
    Finland Ltd in 2018-19.
    Climate impact of paper cups
    Learning more about the climate impact
    We use paper cups because they are easy-to-use,
    hygienic and give us the freedom to buy take-
    away hot and cold drinks. They are also safe and
    functional, especially with a matching lid. They
    meet the needs of modern life in a cost-effective
    way.

    “At Huhtamaki we are passionate about the sustainability


    of our products, and we constantly want to know and
    understand more about this important subject. That’s why
    we set out to study the life cycle of a paper cup for coffee
    and its climate impact. We also wanted to find out what are
    the major critical aspects of paper cups and what could be
    improved.”

    Richard Ali, Sustainability Director for Huhtamaki Foodservice Europe-


    Asia-Oceania

    What are the paper cups worth and how do they compare to other cups?

    In 2018-2019, we participated in a life cycle analysis (LCA) study on paper cups. The study was carried
    out by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd and was commissioned by Huhtamaki and the
    Finnish paperboard manufacturer Stora Enso. The study focused on two main scenarios; paper cups
    used either in a café or in a take-away coffee-to-go serving. Paper cups were compared to ceramic
    cups in the café scenario and to reusable plastic and steel cups in the coffee-to-go scenario.

    2 Life cycle analysis study


    Painting the big picture
    Paper cups account for 4% of the climate
    impact of a take-away cafe latte 9% 14%
    4%
    Before looking into the findings, let’s spend a
    moment to set the right perspective. Packaging
    generally represents some 5% of the total carbon Drink latte
    footprint of the food product. 80% is caused as you go
    by growing and preparing the food and 15% is
    caused by transport.

    The findings were similar also in the case of


    73%
    paper cups used for coffee. For example, the
    carbon footprint of a latte, without any cup, is
    approximately 230 g CO2-eq./one 8 oz latte.
    When the latte is served in a paper cup the Coffee production Milk use
    carbon footprint increases to 239 g CO2-eq. and
    Energy of making Cup with
    when a plastic lid is used it increases to 251 g the latte plastic lid
    CO2-eq. In other words, a paper cup accounts
    for just 4% of the climate impact of a take-away
    latte, while the remaining 96% is coffee and milk Carbon footprint of a cafe latte on-the-go
    production and energy of making the actual drink.
    If a plastic lid is added this accounts for 5%.

    One way to understand the climate impact of paper cups is to compare it to driving a car;
    one cup with a lid has the same impact as driving 160-190 meters in a car.

    Taking a closer look at paper cups for coffee 3


    What do the numbers tell us?
    Cups used in the study

    The study included six different coffee cups.


    Three of them were paper cups In addition to these, there were three alternatives
    - Paper cup, standard polyethylene (PE) coating - Ceramic cups used in a café
    - Paper cup, plant-based polyethylene (PE) coating - Reusable cups for take-away made from plastic
    - Compostable paper cup (according to EN13432) - Reusable cups for take-away made from steel

    In the breakeven point analysis, the study included both non-recycled and 80% recycled cups. The study
    included cup recycling up to 80%, which exceeds the European Union’s 2030 recycling target for packaging
    of 70%.

    Comparison to ceramic cups used in a café The study suggests that even when washed efficiently,
    ceramic cups need to be used at least 350 times before
    There is no data currently available on how many having a smaller carbon footprint than that of a paper
    times the ceramic cups are used in real life, and cup. The data also shows that if the paper cup is recycled
    how long they last in a hygienic and presentable after use, or if more than 80% of paper cups are
    form in cafés or restaurants. For the study, a recycled, then paper cups are always the better option
    relatively high reference number of 1,000 uses from a climate change point of view. That’s also the case
    was chosen. when ceramic cups aren’t washed efficiently.
    The major factor affecting the climate impact of The efficiency or inefficiency of washing a cup is not only
    ceramic cups was the efficiency of washing. This a matter of climate impact but an overall food safety and
    includes the use of clean water, detergent, energy hygiene concern. In many settings safe washing is not
    and the waste water treatment. The study found guaranteed, which creates a risk of bacteria building up
    that dishwashing causes more than 90% of the in the cup, especially if milk has been used in the coffee.
    life cycle emissions of a reusable cup. Additionally, ceramic cups cannot be used for take-away.

    Breakeven point with the impact of washing calculated, number of servings in different cups (CFF method)

    In the case of inefficient washing of ceramic cups, paper cups are always a better option from the climate impact point of view.

    4 Life cycle analysis study


    Take-away paper cups compared to reusable In the case of reusable cups made of steel, these
    take-away cups made of plastic need to be used minimum 130 times to cause less
    CO2 emissions than a take-away paper cup and
    The study also compared reusable plastic cups plastic lid.
    with paper cups used in a take-away setting
    where plastic lids secure the drink and prevent In the single-use take-away scenario, polystyrene
    accidents. Here, the study suggests that the lids make up the majority of the total climate impact
    reusable cups should be used at least 20 times of packaging. This is due to the energy intensity of
    to minimize climate impacts. If the paper cup is plastic production and the fact that polystyrene lids
    recycled afterwards and/or is made with a Plant are rarely recycled. The impact of a take-away paper
    PE coating, the breakeven point increases to cup with lid would be substantially lower if a fiber lid
    between 32 and 36 times. was used instead of a polystyrene one.

    Breakeven point calculated with plastic reusable cups and paper cups with lids (CFF method)

    Comparison of different types of paper cups

    The study compared three types of paper cups.


    Plant PE coated cup was the best performing
    paper cup, having the lowest climate impact
    at 10.2 g CO2-eq./cup. Compostable cups
    typically require a thicker lining to achieve
    leak-proofing, and some fossil-content, which
    increases their carbon footprint.

    The end of life scenarios are defined based on


    average European statistics: 30% to landfilling,
    34% to incineration and 36% to recycling.

    Taking a closer look at paper cups for coffee 5


    Recycling makes a major
    difference
    The study showed that the end-of-life solution 54% to 3.8 g CO2-eq. when 100% recycled. If plant-based
    has a major impact on the CO2 emissions of paper PE is used, and 100% of the cups are recycled, the carbon
    cups: The carbon footprint of regular PE coated footprint falls by 64% to 2.8 g CO2-eq./cup. These figures
    cups is 8.1 g CO2-eq. when disposed of according are calculated using the Circular Footprint Formula (CFF)
    to European averages, but can be reduced by method.

    “This LCA has confirmed the positive impact recycling can have on our planet. The fiber
    in our paper cups can be recycled up to seven times, so by recycling we really are doing
    the right thing.”

    Richard Ali, Sustainability Director for Huhtamaki Foodservice Europe-Asia-Oceania

    Greenhouse gas emissions per cup when recycled

    10
    9
    8
    7
    g CO2-eq./cup

    6
    5
    4
    3
    2
    1
    0
    Paper cup Paper cup recycled Plant PE paper cup
    8.1 g CO2-eq. 3.8 g CO2-eq. recycled 2.8 g CO2-eq.

    The carbon footprint per cup is measured according to the CFF method.

    6 Life cycle analysis study


    Future Smart
    The plant-based paper cup

    Future Smart is a sustainable paper cup by


    Huhtamaki. Future Smart is made from fully
    plant-based materials and is 100% renewable.
    The paperboard is sourced from PEFC certified,
    sustainably managed forests. The inside lining of the
    cup is made of plant-based PE and can be recycled.

    According to the study, this type of a plant PE coated


    paper cup is the best performing paper cup option in
    terms of climate change impact. By recycling the cup
    after use, the climate impact of the cup can be further
    reduced.

    The Future Smart material is suitable for hot and cold


    drinks as well as for ice cream and take-away foods.

    Conclusions
    –– Like all food packaging, the carbon footprint of a paper cup is small compared to the food itself.
    –– In most every-day scenarios, a paper cup has the lowest carbon footprint and is always a hygienic
    choice.
    –– Recycling drives lower greenhouse gas emissions. When recycled the carbon footprint of a paper
    cup falls by a significant 54%. If a traditional paper cup is swapped for Huhtamaki’s FutureSmart
    paper cup and is also recycled, the footprint falls by 64%. The high quality wood fiber in Huhtamaki’s
    paper cups, which is sourced from sustainably managed forests, can be recycled up to 7 times before
    it loses its strength.
    –– Compostable cups are a good option when the cups are composted in the correct facilities.
    –– Paper cups are always the best choice for the climate if ceramic alternatives aren’t washed efficiently.
    –– Re-usable cups would need to be light-weight, used multiple times and be washed efficiently for
    them to result in lower greenhouse gas emissions than paper cups.

    Taking a closer look at paper cups for coffee 7


    What is a life cycle analysis?
    Key facts about this study

    Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a method to assess the environmental impacts of a product over
    its entire life cycle, taking into account raw materials, manufacturing, use, transport and end-of-
    life options.

    For this research, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd carried out the comparative
    LCA study, which was jointly commissioned by Huhtamaki and Stora Enso. Catharina Hohenthal,
    Marjukka Kujanpää, Ivan Deviatkin, Marja Myllysilta and Matias Alarotu from VTT formed the
    research team.

    A critical review panel reviewed the study in order to allow for public comparative assertions
    based on the results of the study. The study is fully compliant with ISO 14040 and ISO 14044
    standards.

    The results are not comparable with earlier studies. This study follows European Commission’s
    product environmental footprint (PEF) category rules for intermediate paper products. Cut
    off was the chosen allocation method but circular footprint formula (CFF) used to assess the
    impact of recycling rate.

    Contact Information

    Richard Ali
    Sustainability Director Huhtamaki Foodservice Europe-Asia-Oceania
    richard.ali@huhtamaki.com

    Global Communications
    Tel. +358 (0)10 686 7000
    communications@huhtamaki.com

    8 Life cycle analysis study

    You might also like