Wholesaler launches first ever 'green' cup

The cup will be available in Booker and Makro branches nationwide from mid-October.

Andrew Stallabrass of Hot Pack, which produces the cup, said: “H-Pack (Eco) are delighted to be a partner with Booker on this exciting new project, we are confident that it will prove a huge success and look forward to working with them on their bio-range in the coming months ahead."

The amount of plastic waste generated annually in the UK is estimated to be almost 5m tonnes, according to sustainability organisation WRAP.

Plastic pollution

According to the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA), some 32% of pubs considered removing plastic as ‘very important’ with 46% saying it was ‘important’.

BBPA surveyed its members, amounting to 10,000 pubs, in its Brewing Green 2019 ​​report, which also found all those involved in the research had reduced usage of plastic straws.

Booker's catering & small business managing director Stuart Hyslop said: “Sustainability is becoming more and more important to both our customers and their consumers.”

In June 2019, National Refill Day took place in which thousands of pubs promoted themselves as places where individuals could fill up their water bottles for free to raise awareness of plastic pollution.

Pub chains such as JD Wetherspoon, Fuller’s and Adnams were involved in the scheme.  

Drive distribution

A YouGov survey commissioned by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy and Brita UK found that only 29% of small and medium enterprises in the hospitality and leisure sector have introduced alternatives like reusable cups or metal straws.

Hyslop said they are keeping the price low to help drive distribution.

The cup is available in 12oz for 10p and 8oz for 8p.