Eco-Friendly Paper Cups with Your Branding

Who asks for eco-friendly cups

Most requests come from cafés whose customers already bring up packaging at the counter. Others are businesses with their own waste targets, such as offices, universities and venues.

A few simply want their cups to match the rest of their shop, with natural colours, plant prints and plain wording, like the green and kraft designs in our photos.

Whatever the reason, the starting point is the same. We look at what you serve and suggest where the cup can use less.

• Independent cafés with a refill or reuse scheme of their own
• Office canteens working to a waste plan
• Farm shops and delis with a natural look
• Event organisers who sort waste on site
• Juice bars and health food counters

Where the waste in a paper cup comes from

A paper cup is mostly board, with a thin lining inside that stops drinks soaking through. The ink on the outside, any sleeve and the lid all add to what goes in the bin.

That means there are several small choices rather than one big switch. The table shows the main ones we can help with.

You do not have to change everything at once. Many cafés start with board and size, then look at lining on the next order.

Kraft board and lighter print

Kraft board has a natural brown finish, so it looks complete with only a small logo. Many eco-minded cafés use one dark ink on kraft and leave the rest bare.

On white board, a lighter layout does the same job. A single leaf, a thin band and a logo, as on the cream cups in our photos, use far less ink than a full wrap.

If you like the brown look across your range, our kraft paper cups in natural brown page shows more options.

Ink coverage also affects how a cup looks when it is stacked. A light layout reads well from the side of a stack and from the top.

Choosing the right lining

The lining is what lets a paper cup hold coffee. It is also the part that decides how easily the cup can be recycled after use.

We offer recyclable lining options on request, and we explain them in more detail on our recyclable paper cups with lining options page. Ask about them when you request a quote so we can price the right board.

Lining choice also depends on what you serve. Hot coffee, iced drinks and soup each put different demands on the inside of a cup, so tell us the full menu.

Right-sizing your cups

A 16oz cup filled two thirds full uses more board than a 12oz cup filled to the line. Over a year, that adds up to a lot of paper.

Look at how much each drink on your menu really holds and match the cup to it. Our guide to UK paper cup sizes lists what each size usually serves.

Fewer sizes also means fewer half-used boxes in the stockroom. Stock that sits for months is waste of a different kind.

1. List every drink you sell and its usual volume
2. Match each drink to the smallest cup that fits it
3. Drop sizes that only one drink uses
4. Order only the sizes you really pour

One cup instead of a cup and a sleeve

Many cafés serve hot drinks in a single wall cup with a sleeve added. A double wall cup does the same job in one piece, with no separate band to throw away.

Ripple wall cups work the same way, with a textured outer layer. Our guide to single and double wall cups sets out when each one makes sense.

If you keep single wall cups for cold drinks, you do not need to switch them. Double wall is mainly worth it for hot serves.

Wording on the cup

It is tempting to print bold green slogans, but every claim on a cup should be accurate and easy to back up. Vague phrases can mislead customers and cause trouble later.

Plain, specific wording works better. Tell people what to do with the cup, such as which bin to use on your premises, rather than making broad promises.

If you are unsure about a phrase, send it with your artwork and we will flag anything that looks too broad. Changing a word on the proof costs nothing.

• Say what the cup is made from, in plain words
• Give clear disposal instructions for your own bins
• Avoid claims you cannot show proof for
• Keep the message short so people read it

Designing an eco look that feels real

Leaves and trees are popular, as our photos show, but they are not the only route. Earthy colours, hand-drawn type and lots of bare board can say the same thing more quietly.

Keep the design honest to your business. A café that roasts its own beans might show the farm or the roastery rather than a generic plant.

Customers tend to trust a modest design more than a loud one. Let the material and a clear message do most of the work.

How ordering works

We offer free design help and a free digital proof, and we revise the proof until you approve it. Production then takes 4 to 6 working days.

Tracked delivery takes 2 to 3 working days, free anywhere in the UK. You can read more about how we work on our page about The Paper Cups.

1. Tell us the sizes, wall type and board you prefer
2. Mention any lining or food-contact needs
3. Send your logo or artwork
4. Sign off the proof so printing can begin

Building a lower waste cup range

Once the main cup is settled, the same thinking can carry across your other packaging. Matching board and print across sizes also makes reordering simpler.

Our full eco paper cup collection groups the cups customers ask about most when waste is the main concern.

Review the range once a year. Menus change, and a size that sold well last summer may now be gathering dust.

Common mistakes with eco cups

The biggest mistake is spending effort on the cup and ignoring everything around it. A cup is only one part of the waste from a takeaway drink.

Lids, stirrers and napkins are part of the picture too. Offering them on request rather than by default can cut more waste than any cup change.

• Printing claims on the cup that you cannot support
• Ordering 16oz cups for drinks that fit a 12oz
• Adding sleeves to double wall cups out of habit
• Choosing full wrap print when a small logo would do
• Forgetting to ask about lining options before quoting