Ecotainer™ Hot Cups

Ecotainer™ cups are paper cups lined with a bio-based polymer called PLA (polylactide). Ecotainers™ are made from renewable resources (paper and PLA), and their production has fewer environmental impacts compared to Styrofoam and plastic-lined paper coffee cups.

In 2005, Americans used and discarded 14.4 billion disposable hot cups. Ecotainer™ hot cups were developed by Green Mountain Coffee Roasters and International Paper as an alternative to traditional, disposable Styrofoam or paper-plastic hot cups. Ecotainer™ cups are lined with the NatureWorks® bio-based polymer instead of plastic.

Ecotainer™ hot cups are made in the U.S. and 70% of the energy used to produce the paperboard is co-generated from renewable resources, not petroleum. The bio-based plastic liners are also produced in the U.S. and its production consumes 50% less energy and produces 55% fewer greenhouse gases than does production of plastic liners in traditional disposable hot cups.

Ecotainer™ hot cups are safer than Styrofoam hot cups made from polystyrene (PS) and safer than traditional plastic-lined paper hot cups that use PVC. PS can leach styrene, which is a possible human carcinogen, into your beverage, especially if it is put in the microwave oven or it is exposed to acids like lemon in tea. According to the National Geographic Green Guide, PVC in contact with certain foods can leach chemicals such as adipates and phthalates, which have been shown to cause birth defects and damage to organs and reproductive systems in mice.