PepsiCo has started offering five types of recyclable and compostable cups to U.S. food service customers.
The company says that the portfolio allows food service customers – such as restaurants, stadiums, theme parks and colleges – to select the right option based on locally available recycling and composting disposal facilities. The cups are distributed through company-owned and independent bottler distribution systems.
The options include fully recyclable clear plastic caps, with one version made from 20 percent post-consumer recycled content; and compostable wax and compostable paper cups that use renewable sources.
The cups display green imagery along with the Pepsi logo, and clearly communicate their environmental benefits, the company says. The containers also encourage consumers to visit Earth911.com for information on how to properly dispose of materials in their local communities.
"The new cups are an advancement in technology, but also in the way we communicate," said Margery Schelling, CMO of PepsiCo Foodservice. "Customers increasingly are asking for environmental products that match changing needs, expectations and lifestyles. We want consumers to enjoy their favorite fountain beverages and feel good about the environmental impact of their purchases."
PepsiCo said it introduced the green cups in response to growing demand for eco-friendly beverage packaging, particularly among college and university students. A Beveragepulse.com study says that 94 percent of consumers are concerned about the environmental effects of beverage packaging. And 60 percent of Millennials and Gen-Xers would be willing to pay slightly more for recycled beverage packaging that's better for the environment, according to the Mintel Beverage Packaging Trends study.
PepsiCo’s environmental initiatives include development of a fully recyclable bottle made from bio-based raw materials, the Naked Juice reNEWabottle made from 100 percent post-consumer recycled plastic, and the Aquafina Eco-Fina bottle, which PepsiCo says is the lightest bottle of its size among U.S. bottled water brands.
A PepsiCo video about the new cups can be viewed here.
