Added value for Innsbruck - Coffee-to-go in a MehrWegbecher

Funding period:

Funding period: 11/2016- 10/2019

Project partner:

  • Department of Environmental Engineering, University of Innsbruck
  • Baguette/ MPREIS Warenvertriebs GmbH
  • Der Bäcker Ruetz GmbH z
  • Österreichische Mensen Betriebsgesellschaft mbH (ÖMBG)
  • coffeekult OG
  • Focus on coffee competence

Project description:

"Besser Kaffeetschln" with environmentally friendly reusable cups

Together with the Innsbruck branches of Baguette/MPREIS, the Ruetz bakery, the cafeteria and the coffee specialists coffeekult and Brennpunkt, the University of Innsbruck is introducing an environmentally friendly reusable cup and thus declaring war on the mountain of disposable cups used every day.

In Innsbruck alone, up to 17,000 disposable cups are sold every day. If you stack up this enormous number of cups, you would reach the height of the Patscherkofel every day. In contrast to Innsbruck's local mountain, however, the survival time of a disposable cup is negligible. On average, it takes just 10 minutes before it ends up in the rubbish bin, in the best case scenario. Even if the cups are disposed of properly, every single one is a burden on the environment: the cups cannot be recycled and have to be incinerated. However, the negative impact of coffee to go cups begins with their manufacture. If we apply the figures collected by Deutsche Umwelthilfe on resource consumption in the production of disposable coffee to go cups to Austria, we get the following figures: To produce the 300 million cups consumed in Austria each year, around 3,000 tonnes of paper, around 2,200 tonnes of crude oil, around 32 million kWh of electricity and 1.5 million litres of water are used. 4,600 trees are felled for cup production alone. In total, disposable cups and their plastic lids generate around 4,000 tonnes of waste per year across the country.

Incentive for more sustainable everyday habits

Together with its partners Der Bäcker Ruetz, Baguette/MPREIS, the canteen, coffeekult and Brennpunkt, the University of Innsbruck wants to encourage more sustainable everyday habits with a reusable cup. Despite the higher production costs, reusable cups have a significantly better environmental footprint than disposable cups if they are used regularly. To make the BesserCup as environmentally friendly as possible, the project team opted for a cup from the company NoWaste. The cup is made from 100% natural raw materials that are left over from the wood industry. It is biodegradable and is produced in Germany.

As a key part of the project, an awareness-raising campaign is being developed on the subject of the impact of using disposable cups on the environment and climate. The regular repetition of information activities will ensure that the reusable cups purchased are also used, as only then will there be a benefit for the environment.

Further businesses are to be recruited as partners. In addition to the reusable cup, a concept for the introduction of a deposit system will be developed and, if necessary, tested. The project will also be accompanied by user surveys.

Further links:

Contact:

University of Innsbruck
Dipl.-Ing. Julika Knapp
Technikerstrasse 13
6020 Innsbruck
julika.knapp@uibk.ac.at

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