Now You Can Have Your Coffee in Compostable Cups

As an environmental advocate, I am always seeking out innovative ways to reduce my carbon footprint.
Of course, I have my own personal actions that I take on a daily basis. I do the little things that help a lot, like turning off appliances when not in use, using cold water to do my laundry, and walking instead of driving, when I can.

But, in order to step into a larger sphere, it was necessary for me to find companies and products that are offering sustainable products that reduce the use of fossil fuels. And, one of the coolest ways to do that is to use compostable cups.

I wanted to find out more about this eco-friendly way to drink liquids so I contacted Green Mountain Coffee's Kristen Mercure to find out all about compostable cups and why their company decided to make them and use them.

ABS) Tell me why Green Mountain decided to use compostable cups.

KM) According to 2005 data, every year, Americans drink more than 100 billion cups of coffee. Of those, 15 billion are served in conventional disposable paper cups, enough to wrap the earth 55 times if placed end-to-end. Conventional paper cups contain a plastic lining made from a petrochemical that would produce enough energy to heat 8,300 homes. That's a town the size of Newtown, Connecticut.

With these figures in mind, in 2006 we worked with International Paper to develop an eco-friendly hot beverage paper cup called the ecotainer™ to support our core goal of being a sustainable business. The cup uses 100% natural and renewable resources from plants and trees. And it breaks down completely under the right composting conditions.

ABS) What materials make up the compostable cups?

KM) In standard paper cups and containers, the paperboard used is coated with a petrochemical based plastic (polyethylene) to make it liquid resistant. The ecotainer cup uses Polylactic Acid (PLA) to create a waterproof barrier on the paperboard. PLA is a biopolymer derived from lactic acid produced by the fermentation of corn sugars.

The fiber and coating in the cup are sourced from fully renewable resources. The trees used to make the paper come from fiber sourced through a system that adheres to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) guidelines for management and harvesting. No trees from old-growth or endangered forests are used.

The natural materials used to make the waterproof lining are grown in the United States and made into PLA by NatureWorks, LLC in a greenhouse gas neutral process. This requires significantly less energy to create than comparable quantities of polyethylene used in conventional cups.

With the eco-cup, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters alone will conserve the consumption of nearly a quarter of a million pounds of non-renewable petrochemical materials every year.

We now also have ecotainers for cold beverages and lids for both cups as of last year, as well.

ABS) Do many customers use them?

KM) Green Mountain Coffee sells over a billion cups of coffee a year at convenience stores, offices, restaurants, and food service locations nationwide. All of our customers have the opportunity to purchase ecotainers for their consumers.

So far, we estimate that this product decision has kept over one million pounds of petrochemicals out of landfills by using these unique, sustainable materials.

ABS) Would you say that using compostable cups is part of a larger sustainability plan for Green Mountain?

KM) As mentioned above, being a sustainable business is a core goal for Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. Our goal is to provide our customers and consumers with an extraordinary coffee experience that's environmentally sound, socially just, and undeniably delicious. By delivering the ultimate coffee experience, we hope to inspire others to view business as a partner and contributor in the global effort to create long-term solutions and sustainability for people and ecosystems worldwide. We consider the development of the ecotainer cups and lids a good step in the right direction as we strive to improve our environmental footprint.

ABS) Could you share a story or two concerning a customer and compostable cup usage?

KM) Two fun stories jump to mind, both sent in from consumers and shared on our blog: The first shows how a fan uses the ecotainers as planters for her garden, The second shows another use for the containers '" fashion! A local designer requested that we send coffee bags (which also contain a layer of PLA) and our cups for his show, which you can see at the Green Mountain Blog.

All of us want to do our part when it comes to saving our planet and saving energy. Perhaps asking your favorite coffeehouse owner to offer compostable cups could be another step in the right direction.