Air New Zealand trials edible, vanilla-flavoured coffee cups to reduce waste

The Age

Dec 4 2019

Vanilla-flavoured, edible coffee cups are being trialled at Air New Zealand in an effort to reduce waste.

Customers in the air and on the ground are being served the leakproof, sustainable treat that also double as a dessert bowl.

Air New Zealand customer experience manager Niki Chave said the cups had been a big hit.

“We’ve been working in partnership with innovative New Zealand company Twiice to explore the future of edible coffee cups,” she said.

“Our current cups are compostable, but the ultimate goal would be to remove these totally from landfills.”

Twiice co-founder Jamie Cashmore said the initiative demonstrated that new and innovative ways of packaging were achievable.

“It showcases to the world that a little bit of Kiwi ingenuity and innovation can have a really positive impact on the environment,” he said.

Air New Zealand recently switched to plant-based cups on board all aircrafts and in lounges, which is expected to prevent around 15 million cups from going to landfill annually.

Chave said the airline would continue to trial edible coffee cups and explore options that could make them a viable long-term product for the airline.

Air New Zealand currently serves more than eight million cups of coffee each year.