Following a number of enquiries from both the trade and its clients, Save a Cup diversified its collection and recycling scheme in 2007 to include both paper and polypropylene disposable cups. For the diverse scheme to operate successfully, segregation of the different types of cups at source is paramount, says the company, with a colour coded system set up to make separating waste easier for businesses.

The environment is a growing concern and businesses must be seen to be doing their bit. Save a Cup points out that not only is waste disposal expensive and problematic, the scheme also helps to enhance your green credentials and could help you to retain ISO-14001 accreditation.

At the beginning of the year, David Hoskin, Chairman of Save a Cup Recycling Ltd told how 2009 had been a year of change for Save a Cup with some internal re-organisation.

The new website, launched in January 2010, had been created to introduce new clients into the Save a Cup scheme as well as to sell recycled products online.

Save a Cup also strengthened its management team and appointed a full-time Customer Service Manager, Aileen Grant. Aileen brings over 15 years’ customer service experience to Save a Cup and has several new initiatives planned.

The Paper Cup Recovery and Recycling Group

The Paper Cup Recovery and Recycling Group meanwhile, was formed with the objective of identifying an ongoing sustainable route or routes for the recovery and subsequent recycling of paper cups and similar products. Working with The Fibre Technology Association, Save a Cup and other major companies involved in the supply chain, the group is committed to investigating the options to recover and recycle paper cups in line with current government guidelines, including the Waste Hierarchy and to provide an alternative to land filling.

Greener materials

RPC Tedeco-Gizeh’s commitment to sustainable manufacturing of its vending cups has been underlined by significant weight reductions across its standard ranges. Using WRAP CO2e emission guidelines, this initiative equates to an approximate annual saving of 2314 tCO2e.

Meanwhile, RPC Tedeco-Gizeh has quantified the benefits of its optimised B’Green 150ml vending cup, confirming that it delivers a plastic saving of 18% compared to standard market offerings for the same type of cup; again based on WRAP figures, this equals a saving of approximately 842 tCO2e per year. In addition, the optimised logistics achieved by a lower stacking height enables a 33% increase in cups per lorry-load for further savings.

“Thanks to B’Green, vending operators can be confident in lower delivery costs and CO2 emissions compared to standard cups, helping them to complement their own sustainability initiatives,” confirms Eric Chavent, Sales & Marketing Director of RPC Tedeco-Gizeh.

RPC Tedeco-Gizeh has designed a range of stickers for vending machines that enable customers who use the company’s B’Green cups to highlight their efforts to support the environment.

Ethical ingredients

As an employer, it makes sense to use brands that source their ingredients ethically, making an internal and external statement that yours is a company that cares. Research commissioned by the Fairtrade Foundation, launched to coincide with World Fair Trade Day last year, shows more UK consumers than ever before – 70% of the population – recognise the FAIRTRADE Mark, up from 57% in 2007.

The survey showed that recognition is at its highest with 35-44 year olds (76%) and fastest growing with 25-34 year olds (76%). It confirms that more women than men recognise the Mark, reflecting the main shoppers in most households.

The TNS CAPI OmniBus findings also show understanding of the concept behind the Mark has increased, with 64% of the population linking the Mark to a better deal for producers in the developing world, which means the message is getting through. The research shows that it is also influencing everyday purchases throughout the country, with 1 in 4 of the UK’s shoppers regularly buying several products carrying the FAIRTRADE Mark.

There are other ethical labels, such as the US based conservation charity Rainforest Alliance – certified farms, estates and plantations, where working and social conditions are improved with the extra money paid for more sustainable tea and coffee production. Although foods can be both Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance certified, in practice they tend to be either one or another.

Signing up to schemes like Save-a-Cup and using more environmentally friendly materials and ingredients, are all ways in which we can do our bit for the environment both here and abroad. Though we provide only a snapshot of the options here, there are so many available to us nowadays that ‘going green’ has never been more simple or economical.

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