ATLANTA, USA – Paper cups for hot beverages can finally be truly sustainable thanks to phade, the world’s first-ever paper cup lined with PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoate), an innovative new biopolymer derived from the fermentation of canola oil that is home and industrial compostable and marine biodegradable.
Created by WinCup, Inc., the new phade paper cup is an advanced alternative to traditional paper cups, which unbeknownst to most consumers, are coated in fossil-fuel based plastic in order to hold beverages, and therefore unable to be recycled or composted.
“Most consumers assume the paper cup they’re drinking out of at their local coffee shop is sustainable and they have no idea that it’s actually coated in petroleum-based plastic,” said Michael Winters, WinCup President and Chief Revenue Officer.
“That means the cup is headed straight for the landfill, where the petrol-plastic inside them will remain for hundreds of years. Now we have a truly sustainable solution, phade cups. Now, a paper cup can actually do what it should do; return to earth as compost in a matter of months after being used.”
Traditional single-use paper cups are lined with synthetic fossil-fuel derived plastics to prevent beverages from leaking through but leave plastic remnants behind. Conversely, phade cups can be safely composted because they are made from paper and lined with PHA. The new cup is distinctly designed with the interior lined with phade® blue PHA, to reassure consumers that, unlike other paper ups, this one is truly sustainable.
“We’ve solved a problem that the industry has been grappling with for years,” said Brad Laporte, WinCup’s Chief Executive Officer. “Finally, there’s a paper cup that is both truly sustainable and effective for hot beverages. phade® cups are the first in the world to bring the groundbreaking benefits of PHA into this significant category, allowing the phade cup to naturally biodegrade in a matter of months in compost.”
The new paper cup is WinCup’s second product under the phade brand. The phade drinking straw and stirrer has become the product of choice among consumers as well as major restaurant and hospitality brands, professional sports venues, airports and other retail outlets nationwide.
WinCup has received numerous awards for the development of phade, including the 2020 Innovation in Biopolymer Award from the Plastics Industry Association, and the 2021 Innovation in Foodservice Award for Sustainability Solutions from the National Restaurant Association. phade was also recognized as a finalist or honorable mention in 4 out of 5 categories in Fast Company’s 2021 World Changing Ideas Awards.
The phade brand’s growth in the marketplace comes at a time when retailers and consumers alike are searching for viable alternatives to replace petroleum-based plastics. Recent studies show that less than 10 percent of plastic is recycled, while demand for traditional plastics continues to grow. phade cups and straws provide an immediate solution to replace fossil fuel-based plastics and curb global plastic pollution.
WinCup’s focus on sustainable solutions was bolstered in September 2020 when Los Angeles-based global private investment firm Atar Capital acquired the company. Among Atar’s core principles is a commitment to sustainability and investing in companies that work toward protecting the environment.
