No local tax on disposable coffee cups and pizza boxes. © djoronimo / fotolia.com

However, when it was recently demanded that a 20-eurocent local tax should be levied on all disposable coffee cups and pizza boxes, the idea was rejected as anti-constitutional by the German Constitutional Court. © djoronimo / fotolia.com

COFFEE TO GO – SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING IDEAS

IN 40 PER CENT OF ALL CASES GERMANS ENJOY THEIR FAVOURITE DRINK AWAY FROM HOME

80 DISPOSABLE CUPS PER YEAR. Germans love their coffee and drink an average of 165 litres per capita per year. In fact, this hot and black beverage even exceeds the popularity of mineral water (140 litres) and beer (107 litres). Moreover, thanks to handy disposable cups, Germany’s favourite drink can be enjoyed at all times and in all places. The Consumer Council in Hamburg has found that the average German uses approximately 80 disposable cups per year. Extrapolated for the whole of Germany, this is 6.4 billion paper cups with plastic lids.

Starbucks: 25 per cent of all drinks to be offered in reusable cups.

Starbucks’ promise for the future: 25 per cent of all drinks to be offered in reusable cups. In Germany the coffeehouse chain gives customers a 30-eurocent discount per drink if they bring their own cups.

According to the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy, the number of coffee-to-go packages is about 20 billion, with one tenth produced by the coffeehouse chain Starbucks alone. Not surprisingly, therefore, environmentalists are demanding sustainable solutions. The packaging industry has successfully adjusted to this trend, providing environmentally sound packaging solutions for use while travelling, covering every possible usage scenario.

SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING IDEAS

Although a traditional paper cup is lightweight and can easily be transported, it has a special plastic coating for hot drinks and is therefore difficult to recycle. Coffee shops and petrol stations are trying to persuade customers to do without disposable cups by offering discount on reusable cups. Nevertheless, the majority of people still prefer paper because it is more convenient. Innovative alternatives must meet the needs of the consumer and the environment alike.

What makes this cup so special is the coating which dissolves during recycling. © AkzoNobel

BIODEGRADABLE TO-GO CUPS

A year ago, in 2014, the Dutch group AkzoNoble invented a to-go cup with inside coating that dissolves together with the paper during recycling. The EvCote™ Water Barrier 3000 is made from vegetable oils and recycled PET bottles. So far the coating has only been used for cold drinks.