Starbucks is committing US$10 million in partnership with Closed Loop Partners and the Center for the Circular Economy to establish a consortium to launch the ‘NextGen Cup Challenge.’
“No one is satisfied with the incremental industry progress made to date, it’s just not moving fast enough. So today, we are declaring an initiative for sustainability to work together as an industry to bring a fully recyclable and compostable cup to the market, within three years,” said Colleen Chapman, a vice president at Starbucks responsible for overseeing sustainability.
“This is the first step in the development of a global end-to-end solution that would allow cups around the world to be diverted from landfills and composted or given a second life.”
Through the NextGen Cup Challenge, a consortium will award accelerator grants to entrepreneurs working on ideas that could lead to the development of more sustainable cup solutions and invite industry participation and partnership on the way to identifying a global solution.
“Through this partnership, the challenge will enable innovators and entrepreneurs with financial, technical, and expert resources to fast-track global solutions, help get those solutions to shelf, through the recovery system and back into the supply chain,” said Rob Kaplan, managing director of Closed Loop Partners, an investment platform that invests in sustainable consumer goods, recycling and the development of the circular economy. World Wildlife Fund is also supporting the project.
Throughout development, the solution will be open source, so others can benefit and innovate on the path towards the development of recyclable and compostable cups around the world.
For more information see the May 2018 issue of Coffee & Cocoa International.
