By Katie Pyzyk, Senior Reporter, Waste Dive
Paper cups are for the first time part of the Recycled Materials Association’s materials specifications list, the newest fiber spec since pizza boxes were added in 2020. Graphic Packaging International praised the cups update, calling it “a major milestone in a broader movement to increase awareness and drive greater collection of paper cups in recycling systems,” according to a Monday news release.
ReMa’s ISRI specifications set standards for the quality of recycled materials and serve as a guide for scrap material buyers’ and sellers’ transactions. However, they do not mandate that recyclers must accept certain materials.
“The association’s guidelines are highly influential with waste collectors and with thousands of material recovery facilities in deciding what does and doesn’t get collected in municipal recycling and collection systems,” explained Graphic Packaging International CEO Mike Doss on Tuesday’s earnings call. “This update has particular significance to us,” considering GPI is a major user of recovered fiber and says it’s the largest producer of paper cups in North America.
The company has helped customers develop various paper cup solutions as a plastic alternative, including at food service giants Chick-fil-A and McDonald’s. In the CPG space, GPI helped Nissin Cup Noodles switch from its long-standing foam cup to a fiber version.
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