Cambridge Consultants looks at solutions for coffee cups to transform recycling and consumer attitudes

The UK throws away 2.5 billion coffee cups a year – of these, a tiny proportion are recycled and over half a million per day become litter.

Global product development and technology consultancy firm Cambridge Consultants has been looking at a number of ways to solve the coffee cup problem…

The first solution from Cambridge Consultants involves a concept in which coffee cups are seen as a surface.

The proposed idea builds on the ordering and payment apps that many chains already have, and could potentially add the ability to associate a reusable cup with a unique ID, which would mean customers could programme a cup with an order.

When the customer goes to order, they can hand the cup over and the transaction is made, meaning order and payment is all in one scan of the cup.

The returned cup goes to be washed, while the new cup can be associated with the customers account, then filled with coffee and given to the customers.

This means that ordering, payment, filling and serving of coffee is all streamlined in to a much faster and convenient experience

The technology could be implemented via a simple NFC chip embedded in the cup, meaning a low barrier to entry for consumers, as they would not be committing a lot to buy into the system and wouldn’t be stuck in it.

The second solution involves implementing smarter recycling, which tackles the major end-of-life problem faced by consumer brands.

Packaging recycling levels are currently at just 40 to 45 per cent, and if you lined up every coffee cup not recycled per day, they would stretch from London to Edinburgh.

Cambridge Consultant’s smart recycling system provides the technology to enables businesses to improve their brand image, engage with customers, and make their businesses more sustainable.

The technology within the system is designed to identify the type of waste the customer wants to dispose of using image recognition.

The system combines machine vision with machine learning and can be trained to recognise new items over time, and can detect the difference between a recyclable cup and a compostable cup, before indicating which section of the waste disposal unit the item should be placed in.

Through a companion app the customer could then be identified and rewarded once the item is correctly deposited.

Implementing a smarter recycling system helps make a difference to consumers’ behaviour, and influence their decisions about recycling, and in the long term, providing clear guidance on which materials to recycle will reduce levels of contaminated waste and will educate the consumer in good recycling practice.

Sajith Wimalaratne, Food and Beverage Commercial Manager at Cambridge Consultants, said: “Consumer brands are coming under increasing pressure from the government, lobby groups and consumers to take responsibility for the end-of-life of their products.”

“They are looking to make eco-friendly choice, looking for ways to operate sustainably and profitably whilst improving customer engagement.”

“To date, the focus has mainly been on developing new products and materials that are more recyclable or compostable, but there still remain challenges collecting and sorting recyclates. The smarter recycling system gives a brand a real reason to be in contact with the consumer while showing a commitment to make a positive impact.”

The third solution from Cambridge Consultants is aimed at the post-consumer issues of plastics, and the environmental damage caused by single use plastics.

Cambridge Consultants has designed a range of biodegradable plastic products, in an attempt to introduce PHA bioplastics into convenience food packaging.

To date, the uptake of bioplastics in food service has been limited by technical performance at high temperatures, cost, and limited supply.

Whilst there has been limited introduction of cups for cold beverages made from PLA, these are not suitable for hot drinks.

Cambridge Consultants evaluated a range of biopolymers and identified materials which are suitable for use in even the most challenging food applications, such as a single-use coffee pod and microwave tray.

Catherine Joce, Sustainability and Circular Economy Lead at Cambridge Consultants, said: “For generations, there has been a dependency between economic growth and increased resource consumption and emissions.”

“It doesn’t have to be that way. Businesses across all industries are beginning to realise the potential of innovation to improve both profit and sustainability.”

With its three solutions, Cambridge Consultants has attempted to cover all bases of the plastics chain, which could significantly improve the coffee cup problem.

If the solutions work in practice as they would in theory, then consumers would not need to throw away their cups thanks to the reusable smart cup.

If they do throw it away, then the recycling systems can put the cups back into the loop to be used again.

And if cup does bypass both of these and ends up in the environment, the bioplastic cup would be sufficiently biodegradable as not to cause damage to the environment.

Together they create a three-part net that, if implemented across the country, could stop any waste coffee cups from finding their way to landfill.