CupCycling™ is ‘Driving the Circular Economy’
James Cropper, one of the global leaders in fibre innovation and paper and packaging specialities, are thrilled to win at the Sustainability Summit Awards against such impressive competition. Hosted at Scanpack in Gothenburg, Sweden, the awards are hailed as the most prestigious competition for sustainability in packaging. This international event stimulates debate and showcases the latest innovations providing solutions that tackle environmental problems across the packaging sector.
The top four submissions in each of the six categories of the Sustainability Awards 2018, were judged by the seventeen-strong, independent jury representing the breadth of the European packaging value chain.
James Cropper won in the category ‘Driving the Circular Economy’ for its unique CupCycling™ innovation that upcycles used coffee cups on a commercial scale to be turned into premium papers and Colourform™ plastic-free packaging. Based on the edge of the Lake District, a UNESCO world heritage site in the North West of England, sustainability has always been at the heart of the business. Work continues to embed circularity into the company’s supply chains to ensure that resources are reduced and reused wherever possible.
Innovation has been the key to the success of the business, and CupCycling is a great example of this. Working with waste management partners and brands who care about the environment, James Cropper has played an integral role in the development of a supply chain to drive an increase in the recycling rates for used cups and to nurture demand for this valuable waste stream.
The company has set out to help recycle some of the estimated 2.5 billion take-away cups that are currently thrown away in the UK each year, giving them a second life and creating new value from waste. To date more than 24 million coffee cups have been upcycled through the process and the facility has the capacity to upcycle 500 million each year.
CupCycling™ is a working example of the circular economy in action and how collaboration between businesses can lead to successful outcomes for both industry and the environment.
