How a 'Plant' Plastic Becomes a Greenwash

If you get a headache trying to understand plastics, wait til you read this. You'll have a migraine. I've got one writing it, so let's share.

The incline of compostable, biodegradable, plant based plastics and all kinds of plastic composites is ramping up and about to make waste, recycling & composting a whole lot more complicated. Actually it already has. And it's really mfucking with the waste processing systems we don't have.

The problem with both plant based plastics and other plastic composites simply is that they aren't plastic enough for our current recycling infrastructure and there is no easy way to either recycle or dispose of them yet. So calling any of these products sustainable or eco is a very thin green line. 

I got a promo email last week, from an 'Eco' PR & brand company promoting an new coffee cup called a HuskeeCup as a sustainable, eco alternative to disposable coffee cups. And it seems that it is - an alternative at least. But the cup's claimed eco credentials seem to have simply created a different disposal problem.

The thing is that I pretty sure HuskeeCup just invented a whole new waste stream. And they turned something (coffee husks) that would normally compost in months into something that might live forever.

We are still trying to understand the true eco credentials of the product and that in itself is an issue for some reason... Anyways, this is how the promo went and you can judge for yourself:

More than just another reusable coffee cup. I have some exciting news from HuskeeCup who's making a significant positive change within the coffee industry, and for our planet.

HuskeeCup and HuskeeCupSwap is the solution to the coffee industry’s ugliest footprint – waste. Made from the discarded coffee husk, HuskeeCup is a reusable cup that's not only sustainable but sophisticated (check our how good it looks). By using coffee husk in the creation of HuskeeCup, HuskeeCup are recycling hundreds of tonnes of waste material from the production of coffee. With this product and system combined, the way we drink coffee is about to change – for good.



The cups sound great and bonus, they look amazing. But it turns out that this beautiful new idea's biggest flaw might be its (assumed) well intentioned goodness. This new trooper HuskeeCup cup may well be a kind of 2 legs traitor of the Animal Farm of the 4 legs Eco Stable. (I am honestly trying to cut down on this metaphor addiction, I promise.)

A lesson in writing a promo when you have a 'tricky situation'

There is an old adage in PR. Always lie close to the truth. Lying close to the truth usually means stating a lot of facts that are well known in the vicinity of your target product without ever actually specifically saying any of it about your product. 

If you take this little snippet above, with the adage in mind, you might start to read it a little differently. Now, to be clear, I am not in any way asserting that there is any kind of attempt to misrepresent the truth about these cups by HuskeeCup or their agent. They are the only ones who really know and answer that question. (Yes we asked.)

Let's go on to read the rest of what was sent from the PR Agency and you may care to read it, thinking about stated facts and product placement. 

Reinventing the coffee industry for good. Introducing HuskeeCupSwap – revolutionising how you serve coffee.

Every year, over 600 billion takeaway coffee cups go to landfill, unable to be recycled, left to slowly decompose over hundreds of years or to be blown into our waterways. HuskeeCup is the product that will phase out the single-use cup, and HuskeeCupSwap is the system that will revolutionise, and create change across the coffee industry globally – but first, Australia. 

As reusable coffee cups are fast becoming a social norm, a service challenge has presented itself. Dirty cups, faulty cups and cups of different sizes are adding risk, inefficiency, and waste of stock, to what was once the simplest ritual of all – drinking coffee. HuskeeCup brings sustainability, practicality and a clean aesthetic to the cafe counter, returning the brew to its wholesome origins.

HuskeeCup is a reusable coffee cup with a sophisticated and zero-waste design that earned the Best in Class award at the famed Good Design Awards in 2018.

HuskeeCupSwap is the system that will create a seamless, closed loop between retailers and consumers, resulting in a sustainable, cost-effective network of exchangeable, eco-friendly coffee cups.

Saxon Wright, HuskeeCup Chairman and CEO & Founder of Pablo & Rusty's Coffee Roasters said HuskeeCup will benefit everyone, “Our objective was to work out how we can we make a significant change within our industry, and consequently our planet – but also add value back to everyone that participates,” said Wright.

“Our hope to make a significant positive financial impact on every cafe, create additional revenue for coffee farmers, whilst collaborating on solving a major waste problem. If we work together on this, the potential scale of change is amazing.”

How does it work? Well, it’s pretty simple. Customers in possession of a HuskeeCup will hand in their cup and lid at the counter when they place their order. Their coffee will be served up in a fresh HuskeeCup, while the old one will be cleaned and returned to the float for future use. For the consumer, it’s a seamless experience – their coffee is served in a fresh HuskeeCup, ready to be enjoyed in-house or on the go, at no charge. For the vendor, HuskeeCupSwap eliminates the variables of size and cleanliness from the process and provides a far cheaper, entirely sustainable alternative to ceramic or single-use cups. The HuskeeCups that have been returned by the customer will then be commercially washed by the vendor, or if they’ve been damaged, they can be sent back to HuskeeCup for refurbishing or recycling.

Cafes can subscribe to become a HuskeeCupSwap member now. A monthly subscription will give vendors three opportunities; to sell HuskeeCups as a retail item, to utilise HuskeeCups as a dine-in coffee cup, and to incorporate HuskeeCups as a takeaway coffee cup. HuskeeCupSwap utilises products that customers have already paid for and creates a pool of stock that can be reused and recycled, reducing the need for new cups. 

HuskeeCupSwap is an incredibly simple solution to a rapidly snowballing problem. Consumer behaviour is changing, and while reusable coffee cups are undoubtedly the way forward, the coffee industry needs to keep innovating to meet the demands of the environmentally minded customer. HuskeeCups are for the planet, by the planet – and the bonus? They look so good! 

About HuskeeCup:

HuskeeCup is a reusable, recyclable cup made from the discarded coffee husk. It's chip and crack resistant, and is designed to last years in both cafe and home environments.

Engineered to keep your coffee hotter for longer, HuskeeCup is durable and comfortable to hold. It's dishwasher friendly, BPA free and comes in 6oz, 8oz, and 12oz sizes, with a one-size-fits-all Universal Lid and Saucer.

It's pretty cool right? 

In the end, this is clearly an excellent idea as a social enterprise that solves the increasing and obvious issues of dirty cups, getting people to actually remember cups and it even creates a community.

The thing is that it is impossible to be perfect. We all make some kind of impact on the earth every day. It is simply the extent of that impact it is important to transparent about. And that's why ekko.world is creating an eco scoring system to help consumers decide. If you like this concept, you should go right ahead an subscribe to it as it has many many excellent elements and is better than many alternatives, even if the answers to all our questions are negative.

So what is the outstanding question/s?

The question/s surround the cup itself. Firstly what & how it's made and secondly the lack of seeming appetite of HuskeeCup to offer straight answers to specific questions in relation to the cup's makeup or recycling ability. To avoid being too much more judgemental in the absence of answers, let's just outline the questions.

HuskeeCup Made With Coffee Husks

By using coffee husk in the creation of HuskeeCup, we are recycling hundreds of tonnes of waste material from the production of coffee. By using coffee husk in the creation of HuskeeCup, Huskee are recycling hundreds of tonnes of waste material from the production of coffee. Huskee’s dream is to realise sustainability for cafes and home users while achieving zero waste at the farm. HuskeeCup is the first step in fulfilling this mission.  

What isn't so clear

• The cups are actually 30% coffee husk and 70% new polypropelene (plastic). 
• Coffee husks are a by-product of roasting and are perfectly compostable. It's kind of odd to bind them with plastic and make something that is not only not generally recyclable, but certainly not compostable.  
• Preventing waste from farms - this would surely be more effective in reducing green house gas emissions were the husks a part of local composting systems for food waste, even animal or human waste? 
• Where are the coffee husks from and how did the coffee husks get to the cup making factory in China? 
• The issue of sustainability is kind of mute. Oil based plastic as a material is not sustainable. And using a composite that cannot be mainstream recycled is not sustainable. The initial coffee husks were sustainable, but it's hard to see much that is after that. 
• Stopping the flow of single use cups to landfill is important, but best to do it in a way that isn’t perpetuating other unsustainable practices and extractive material use.  

HuskeeCup Mission to Eliminate Single-Use Cups & Recycle

I just want to put emphasis back on Huskee's mission to eliminate single-use takeaway cups which are unable to be recycled and flood our landfill and waterways. HuskeeSwap creates a seamless, closed-loop system between retailers and consumers, resulting in a sustainable, cost-effective network of exchangeable, eco-friendly coffee cups. This means that consumers who have purchased a HuskeeCup, simply go to a participating HuskeeSwap cafe with their HuskeeCup & Lid, order a coffee, and are will be served up a coffee in a fresh HuskeeCup, while the old one will be cleaned and returned to the float for future use. If they’ve been damaged, they are sent back to Huskee for refurbishing or recycling and are even made into useful products (more on this coming months). 

Yes I can confirm Huskee recycles HuskeeCups and they do not enter the general recycle waste stream. If HuskeeCup is damaged or broken, it is returned to the vendor and sent back to Huskee for refurbishing or recycling. 

What isn't so clear

• Huskee's commentary suggests that they intend to set up recycling of their cups, when and as necessary. Presumably when they actually have something to recycle.
• HuskeeCup say that they do not yet know if the cups are acceptable in the general recycle waste stream. 
• I don't know about you, but where is the recycling opportunity beyond taking your cup back to the coffee shop. While this is good, if someone tosses said cup in recycle bin, it's going to get tossed right back. 
• What is known is that Plant Based Plastics (PLAs) cannot go into the general recycle stream as they contaminate it. PLAs can be recycled in the right facility, separately. (The real issue here is that people don't realise that these PLA plastics can't be put in Recycle Bins and toss them in. When businesses don't point out this fact, consumers unwittingly contaminate recycle streams.)  

Other notes - in all fairness

Sometimes brands make mistakes - the con job of the supplier of 'compostable bristles' on bamboo toothbrushes is an excellent example as the supplier who had a lot of businesses duped.

But these guys are their own manufacturers so we can really only go by the Least Said Option in the 5 Lazy Man's Excellent Eco rules to de-code this one. 

The law

It is actually against the law to make false or misleading claims about any product. The ACCC is particularly interested in our green space and have made that point very clear. We all know the law can be an ass, but the eco space is a bit of a wild west and the legitimacy of Green Claims are on the ACCC radar and should be.

Thanks and the last word

It turns out that UYOCNZ (Use Your Own Cup New Zealand) had been using and promoting the cup for months until they started to ask questions about the ingredients of the cup in early October and couldn't get straight answers. UYOCNZ publish an excellent directory of Eco Cafes around New Zealand. (Thank you Kitty x 3).

UYOCNZ summed up the situation rather well, "Hope that they will make some adjustments to their marketing so we can treat this product with some kind of informed stewardship."

In the end, the model is great - green, community based and zero waste to a point. Can the product be modified?

Something incorrect here? Suggest an update below: