The Cup Collective

Huhtamaki and Stora Enso joined forces to launch a paper cup recycling initiative called The Cup Collective. The programme, the first of its kind in Europe, aims to recycle and capture the value of used paper cups on an industrial scale.

Huhtamaki is a key global provider of sustainable packaging solutions. Stora Enso is a leading provider of renewable products in packaging, biomaterials, wooden construction and paper, and one of the largest private forest owners in the world.

The EU has set a recycling target for paper and board packaging of 85% by 2030. Paper cups are recyclable, but first need to be segregated at source and collected before they can be turned into new paper products.

The EU is also intent on restricting a number of single-use packaging items in the hospitality sector, including paper cups. Several EU countries have implemented rules setting targets for reusable or refillable packaging. For cups, 20% of takeaway beverage sales made by a cafe must be served in reusable packaging or using customers' own containers by 2030, rising to 80% by 2040. The foodservice and hospitality sectors are looking to their supply chain for practical ways to comply and to be seen to offer forward-thinking solutions.

Through a number of high-profile waste-to-resource programmes, co-cre8 is widely viewed as a key player in developing the circular economy. Most notably, in 2014 the team behind co-cre8 established Simply Cups in the UK, the world's first cup collection and recycling scheme, which has since gone international and was subsequently acquired by Biffa Plc.

As a major supplier of paper cups to foodservice across Europe, Huhtamaki recognised it had to be central in helping its customers recycle used cups. Teaming up with Stora Enso, who operate recycling facilities across Europe, the pair knew that once cups were captured in bulk they could be turned into second-life paper products. What neither had experience of was a system that captured cups at source and bulked them for onward processing, so they turned to co-cre8 to manage the programme and build the network of foodservice operators, waste collectors and supply chain alliances that would go to market under The Cup Collective banner.

Beginning in Brussels, the partners canvassed hospitality and foodservice businesses of all sizes, as well as major transport hubs and retail outlets where beverage cups would be in use. At the same time they sought buy-in from the respective facilities management and waste collection providers.

Because success depended on collecting and segregating cups at source, co-cre8 supplied tried and tested cup recycling stations suitable for retail and transport environments and free from contamination.

Access to data was equally critical, so that brands could report on the volume of cups collected and recycled and comply with new legislation. co-cre8 operates a sack-tracking system that provides real-time data on the collection process and an exact weight per sack for each customer site.

The Cup Collective was announced publicly in September 2022 and formally launched in early December 2022 at an event in Brussels, with participation from across the breadth of the supply chain.

Just a month after the announcement, the initiative had gathered support from the Belgian national railway company (SNCB) and McDonald's. Flagship outlets in prime locations across the city confirmed their partnership, along with a wide range of outlets in the Brussels-Midi and North railway stations and the City 2 shopping centre.

The cup recycling stations also make significant savings for participating customers. Cup waste was typically charged by volume. Because cups are now stacked rather than bagged loose, the stations deliver a 5:1 volume reduction, which is reflected in collection costs.