Mitsubishi Chemical-developed BioPBS biodegradable polymer receives NextGen Cup Challenge

Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation has been announced as a winner of the NextGen Cup Challenge for its New Gen BioPBS Coated Cup, a paper cup coated with BioPBS, which has unique recyclability and compostability.

The NextGen Cup Challenge is the first initiative by the NextGen Consortium, with Starbucks and McDonald’s as founding partners, other food-service industry leaders as supporting partners and WWF as an advisory partner.

The NextGen Consortium aim to give solutions for global issues of single-use food packaging waste, and the NextGen Cup Challenge seeks to identify and commercialise the next generation fibre cup to be recoverable on a global scale.

BioPBS is a plant-derived biodegradable polymer developed by Mitsubishi Chemical Company and manufactured by PTT MCC, and the environmentally friendly material is broken down by living microorganisms in soils and decomposes into water and carbon dioxide.

In addition, it can be easily processed on facilities for existing resins.

Paper cups using BioPBS have been on the market for more than three years and are proven to be industrially compostable and recyclable.

The development of the NewGen BioPBS Cup was named as one of the 12 winners from 480 participants in the Challenge.