A sip and a nibble: Air New Zealand trials edible coffee cups to reduce single-use plastic waste

10 Dec 2019 --- In a bid to explore new and innovative ways to meet its sustainability challenges, Air New Zealand has begun trialing edible coffee cups for its customers in the air and on the ground. Currently serving more than eight million cups of coffee each year, Air New Zealand partnered with the New Zealand company twiice to develop compostable, edible coffee cups to not only reduce single-use plastic waste but also demonstrate that such innovations are commercially possible.

The twiice cups are made from wheat flour, sugar, egg, vanilla essence and natural vanilla flavor. The vanilla flavor acts as a tasteful, versatile compliment to hot drinks and desserts. Twiice affirms it is currently working on a gluten-free option and has a chocolate-lined cup in the pipeline.

“This kind of innovation signals that the airline industry is in a rethinking phase directed toward sustainability. It is a good sign that we have to rethink current services,” Ariane van Mancius, Founder and Owner of Now New Next, a brand development and marketing company in food and packaging concepts, tells PackagingInsights.

Practical obstacles
Air New Zealand regards the edible cups as a significant stride toward more sustainable packaging; however, certain technical difficulties are yet to be overcome. 

Twiice admits it has not yet developed a biscuit lid nor found a suitable non-plastic alternative for the cups. Therefore, the company encourages its customers to enjoy the twiice cups while sitting down and not on-the-go to avoid spillage. 

Moreover, despite twiice affirming that the cups last for “at least as long as it will take to drink your coffee and longer,” van Mancius points out that leaking may still remain a practical obstacle. “You need a thick cookie to prevent them from leaking.” Even then, they are not as durable as plastic cups and might dissolve untimely, she says.

As the cups are used on airplanes themselves, van Mancius also highlights the importance of weight in the net environmental effects of packaging and air travel. “Weight is the most important factor in airline sustainability. An edible cup weighs far more than a plastic cup – they are a couple of grams heavier.” She emphasizes that with aircraft gross weight, every gram counts.

The cups can be used for hot drinks and even desserts, for example ice cream.Greenwashing
The edible cup may seem promising, but van Mancius is wary of the overall greenwashing marketing approach behind the concept. “It is a form of greenwashing. People look at the end product, but not the entire production chain and its environmental impact,” she says. 

Skepticism looms around using food as packaging – not only due to its feasibility, but rather its impact on food waste. Should consumers choose not to eat the edible cup, it, in turn, constitutes additional food waste.

 “The cup works, I’ve had one. If you want a cookie and a coffee it works, it’s a great experience. However, if you don’t want to eat the cookie, you are wasting the cookie. I think it’s feasible [to launch these edible cups in airline packaging], but in the end, food waste is also something that must be avoided,” she notes.

Despite the technical difficulties and greenwashing tag the edible cups may still hold, van Mancius is nevertheless optimistic about the evidence of reinvigorated efforts and innovation to create more sustainable packaging concepts. “The cups tap into the most important trend in airline packaging at the moment: Sustainability. The worldwide media is picking it up and there is positive feedback from consumers. This is an initiative that shows Air New Zealand is concerned with this topic on different levels,” she says. 

Previous sustainability efforts
The twiice edible cup trial follows Air New Zealand's recent switch to plant-based coffee cups on board all aircraft and in airport lounges. The plant-based cups are made from paper and corn instead of plastic, which enables the cup to break down in a commercial composter. Switching to plant-based coffee cups is expected to prevent around 15 million cups from going to landfill annually, says the airline company. Air New Zealand is also encouraging customers to bring their own reusable cups on board aircraft and into its lounges.

Van Mancius adds that airline packaging is making headway in preparing for the upcoming EU ban on single-use plastics in 2021. She notes that a range of alternatives to throwaway cutlery, straws and stirrers are coming to the fore in anticipation of the ban. “Airlines are really changing their services so that they have lighter, weight- and space-saving services. We also see a lot of renewable materials and closed-loop systems coming to the market,” she concludes.

By Anni Schleicher