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Single vs Double Walled Cups

Single vs Double Walled Cups

12th Mar 2020

Have you ever been ordering coffee cups for your business and not been able to decide between single- or double-walled cups? Here is everything you need to know.

 

 

What's the Difference?

What is the difference between single- and double-walled coffee cups? Well, as the name suggests, a single-walled paper cup has one layer of paper and a double-walled has two. However, it's not quite that simple. The extra layer on a double-walled cup increases its insulation – good for hot drinks – but also increases the environmental impact due to the added resources needed. We and BioPak understand that sometimes a double-walled cup is preferable, and provide the option, but we prefer single-walled.

 

A Little Change with a Big Impact

By switching to single-walled coffee cups, you can reduce your business's environmental footprint. Single-walled cups require less energy and paper to manufacture. Transport-related emissions will be lower, as single-walled cups have less weight and fit into more compact cartons. But, you say, the extra layer of paper is so thin! Is it really going to make such a difference? Consider the number of coffee cups your business would go through in a year. Now consider that, for each cup, changing from double- to single-walled would:

  • Reduce paper board by 55%
  • Reduce paper weight by 44%
  • Reduce carton size by 29%
  • Reduce carbon footprint by 20%

Over a year, this is going to add up.

 

Not All Cups are Created Equal

The paper BioPak uses comes from sustainably sourced paper plantations. BioCups are made with a heavy-duty premium quality paper board, with paper sourced from sustainably managed plantations. Single-walled cups are suitable for serving milk-based beverages up to 80 degrees Celsius. If only a small percentage of your sales are hot tea and long blacks, double-cupping is more economical than using double-walled cups for all takeaway hot drinks.


Information taken from BioPak's website. To read about plastic-free initiatives at universities and why there is push-back on these movements, head to our blog.

 Planet Friendly Packaging acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land on which we work.