If you’re in a coffee shop, chances are you’re using a paper coffee cup. Increased awareness of environmentally friendly solutions and the health impact of packaging products propelled the usage of paper coffee cups.
Research shows paper cups usage will continue rising. Why? Customers prefer biodegradable packaging to any other option.Since paper coffee cups gained market traction, other paper packaging products became available. There are now ice-cream paper cups, popcorn boxes, paper coasters, coupon cups, and take away containers available in the market
There have been concerns over the safety of paper coffee cups and their environmental impact. Several studies cite the difficulty in recycling paper coffee cups as the main challenge. They point paper cups have inner plastic linen, which is unsafe and hard to decompose, thus not a viable packaging solution.
However, the suggestion that paper cups are unsafe is inaccurate. Paper cups comprise different inner film coating. They can either be PLA or PE coated.
PLA raw materials, comprise sugar-cane and maize starch, thus contain no BPA or harmful chemicals that can expose customers.
A good deal of food packaging items now comprise PLA as the main by-product because of its safety and affordability.
PE or polyethylene derives from fossil fuels and contains harmful chemicals; therefore, it might contaminate foods in packages.
PE or 100% polyethylene-coated cups are hard to recycle because they can cause machine clogging. They, however, can get recycled through a unique process after separation from other recyclables.
Meanwhile, PLA coated paper coffee cups are 100% compostable. Meaning, they can go directly to compost pits and leave no environmental impact.
So, the right paper coffee cups are now PLA coated. Why? PLA comes from corn-starch, which is readily available in many nations. Meaning, the resulting packaging products from PLA are cheap and perfect for businesses and customers.
Europe’s coffee market has a bright future. Between 2019 and 2024, the market will probably grow at a CAGR of 7.8%. Meaning, the perfect moment to market your brand is now. Thus, you must use all the marketing channels to outshine your competitors.
Paper coffee cups provide a grand opportunity to send a message about your business. For a while now, branded paper cups and coffee cup advertising have been the in-thing.
Customized PLA Paper coffee cups are now a powerful media to capture customers’ attention. Most customers love associating with an incredible brand. If you build your name as the go-to coffee outlet, customers will carry your cups around with pride.
Coffee cup advertising and branded paper cups entail creating stunning copy messages and engraving them on the cups or showing the brand’s name on the cups.
The goal of such messages or images is to touch customers. Thus such messages must strike to leave an imprint on customers.
PLA biodegradabel paper cups are flexible and easy to write on. Therefore, you can get creative and create multiple messages for use on separate occasions. You can have a special message for customers during the festive season, new year, holidays, or Valentine’s day.
More, branded paper manufactures have capable teams to help you come with the perfect message or images that meet your business goals.
Single-use plastic bags levy somehow reduced their production and usage. And customers shifted to reusable bags and any other available sustainable packaging option.
In the UK, 7 million cups of disposable coffee cups end in landfills with only a minute percentage recycled. So, its clear coffee cups are still a threat to the environment, and they will continue to attract legislation.
So, in a few years to come, expect a ban of PE coated paper cups. However, the governments agree disposable paper cups are not a challenge but a recycling mechanism is the gap. Proof is the planned introduction of coffee cup recycling points across England to counter coffee cups infiltration into landfills.
All moves suggest two things; disposable coffee cups recycling is the way forward for business harmony. Also, the primary solution lies in supporting production of PLA products and PLA coated paper coffee cups.
Survey results showed customers consider the recyclability of products when buying any product.
In the survey, 83% of 6000 respondents from Asia, Europe, and North America indicated it is essential for companies to design eco-friendly paper containers.
It is, therefore, outright, the current generation of consumers value principled brands over their insensitive counterparts.
While price and affordability still play a significant role in purchase decisions, products with a less environmental impact always carry the day.
Businesses that adopted sustainable packaging and eco-friendly products are already reaping the benefits of respecting market dynamics. Such businesses include coffee shops and outlets using biodegradable paper coffee cups.
“Enlightened” customers no longer go for coffee in outlets unresponsive to the environment. Also, they don’t use unfriendly coffee cups.
The food and product packaging industry is ever changing since the “go-green” awareness started. Businesses that remain focused and spot market changes in coffee cups and food packaging will always have the upper hand.
Retailers of reusable paper cups and disposable paper cups marked an increase in sales in the year 2018. Coffee shops and coffee outlets using personalized customized PLA coffee cups cite an increase in sales resulting from increasing customers opting for safe coffee cups and food packages.
With the growing impact of paper coffee cups, switching to other alternative could be difficult as paper cups have become mainstream. Just consider how difficult it has been to eliminate single-use plastic despite its adverse effects.
Biodegradable Paper cups have no adverse effect on human safety and the environment. Thus, they continue to flourish and impact business growth.
Paper coffee cups when they take into account safety, environmental friendliness, branding, and consumer preferences shape businesses’ future. With how regulations are taking shape, the future seems to side with biodegradable and recyclable paper cups and paper coffee cups.
