How SecondNature™ Redefines Certified Compostable Packaging

The food and beverage industry is facing extremely high rates of food waste and carbon emissions despite active sustainability efforts. SecondNature™’s revolutionary certified home compostable cups are finally providing solutions that yield groundbreaking results. From cutting back on landfill waste to simplifying the composting process, our innovative paper cup line is redefining what sustainability looks like for businesses and customers.

Plastic and Paper Waste: Today’s Sustainability Problem

Despite the food and beverage industry’s initiatives to curb plastic and paper waste, pollution is generally getting worse. While paper cups have a reputation for being more ‘green’ than plastic bottles or coffee pods, the truth of the matter is quite different.

Most Paper Cups Aren’t Recyclable (or Recycled)

59% of American customers prefer paper and cardboard packaging since they’re believed to be more home compostable than plastic. However, many paper products – from cups to boxes – aren’t actually recyclable (or recycled at all). Additionally, a 2021 U.S. report revealed just 5% or 6% of all plastic waste gets recycled, with the rest going straight to landfills or ending up in multiple ecosystems. While many people are attempting to push back against these statistics, their efforts are sometimes compromised by misleading information.

Customers Are Growing Frustrated With Greenwashing

Unsurprisingly, food and beverage customers are noticing the disparity between their dollar and their impact. With so many brands laying claim to sustainability or compostability, many customers have asked: why aren’t things actually getting better? 90% of customers are more likely to purchase from brands with sustainable packaging with at least 43% even willing to pay more than usual. While certified compostable packaging seems like a great solution, there’s a lot of confusion that makes it hard to find or execute the solution. Inaccurate and misleading marketing claims around sustainability have been eroding customer trust for several years. A 2021 study from the International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network found at least 42% of green claims across industries like cosmetics and fashion were exaggerated or false. Businesses attempting to stand out amid persistent misinformation have another uphill battle to climb.

Lack of Access Makes Sustainability Efforts Difficult

Even when customers or businesses go out of their way to reduce their carbon footprint, systemic issues rear their ugly head. Since many materials need composting or recycling facilities to properly break down, access to facilities is another barrier to navigate. The U.S. Composting Infrastructure Coalition found 80% of Americans do not have regular access to food scrap composting. The U.S. Composting Council also released a report on the widespread lack of access to composting facilities, stating the country needs at least 1,000 or 2,000 more facilities to make a notable impact on food waste.

The Clock is Ticking to Reverse Environmental Harm

We can’t afford to wait and hope the environment starts fixing itself. A 2016 report estimated there could be more plastic than fish in the ocean by weight by 2050, so time is of the essence.

SecondNature™ doesn’t just choose one or two problems to start tackling. We believe that a holistic solution to today’s paper and plastic crisis is possible with a little ingenuity and the right certified compostable materials.

How SecondNature Revolutionizes With Home Compostable Cups

SecondNature™ has introduced an all-new, innovative home compostable paper cup line (material) that tackles several sustainability problems at the root. Even better, you don’t have to overhaul your business model to start spreading the benefits to your customers and the world around you.

Certified Compostable at Home, Backyard, or Roadside

The Problem Many commercial packaging products claim compostability, but still use harmful plastic lining or aluminum that contaminate the materials. Even passionate efforts to compost and recycle may not stop products from being sent to landfills. Our Solution SecondNature™’s paper coffee cup line uses certified home compostable paper (material) that degrades in any active compost environment: from the kitchen trash to a compost pile in the backyard. Likewise; businesses who team up with SecondNature™ will no longer need to seek out recycling or composting facilities to dispose of their paper cup waste. That’s valuable free time that can be poured back into customer service or marketing. Reducing Confusion Around Evolving Sustainability Laws The Problem Customers are confused about how to compost their products and frustrated about misleading claims. Business owners are struggling to implement the guidance set by evolving sustainability laws. A simpler solution has always been possible and it’s one of SecondNature™’s founding philosophies. Our Solution Customers will instantly see our legally-compliant green band on each cup and understand exactly what they need to do: just toss and go. Business owners will finally be able to save time and energy living up to their business values. Instead of analyzing the fine print around their packaging materials or seeking out specialized facilities, our certified home compostable cups have already done all the work.

Faster Degradation Compared to Leading Materials

The Problem Composting paper cups is a time-consuming process, which doesn’t bode well when the world is already low on time to start reversing environmental harm. Many industry-standard compostable materials still result in excess waste that piles up when it needs to be shrinking down. Bamboo packaging takes between four to six months to decompose in an active compost environment, while cornstarch packaging can take a few months to a few years. Since paper cups are estimated to be the second biggest contributor to landfill waste after plastic bottles, something has to change. Our Solution Our certified home compostable paper coffee cups degrade in 90 days or less in active compost environments. As we continue to partner with more businesses who share our vision of a healthier future, the snowball effect of our cup line will help turn the tide against excess waste.

Innovative Design That Transforms Waste Into Growth

The Problem Pollution is an issue that keeps evolving well after a cup has been thrown away. Waste continues to ruin soil quality, poison plant life, and eventually make its way back to harm human health. We thought: why not have a solution that works similarly, but in the opposite direction? Our Solution PFAS-free and non-toxic, our cups’ responsibly made material nurtures future plant growth. Basically, each cup that breaks down leaves no persistent microplastics behind in the soil, preserving its health. Our forward-thinking approach doesn’t just provide sustainable benefits now: our certified home compostable cups set the stage for a positive ripple effect that will be felt for years to come.

Third-Party Research to Remain Compliant

The Problem

What does certified compostable mean, especially in today’s confusing climate? Third-party research and oversight is crucial since customers are becoming more critical of sustainability claims. Simply stating a product is ‘eco-friendly’ or ‘compostable’ isn’t enough, especially with emerging information on the damage many ‘paper’ products are doing.

Our Solution

We followed the strict guidelines set by sustainability organizations to help shape SecondNature™’s innovative paper cup design:

• • FTC Green Guides: A marketing guide set by the Federal Trade Commission to push back against greenwashing and usher in transparent, accurate marketing.
  • USDA Biopreferred Program: USDA-led initiative that helps support the development and production of biobased products.
  • CalRecycle: A branch of the California Environment Protection Agency that helps with reducing and recycling waste.
  • Washington State Compostability Law: Recent laws set by Washington to curb misleading claims and promote responsible certification in packaging.

 

SecondNature™ is Transforming the Industry From The Ground Up

Small changes can leave massive impacts. SecondNature™ is our response to a food and beverage industry filled with passionate people who need a little more help doing the right thing.

Our innovative certified compostable cup line works for the environment, businesses, and customers. With the help of our certified home compostable paper that degrades in 90 days or less, more people can start snipping into excess waste with minimal effort.

We’re partnering with business owners who need simple solutions around food and packaging waste. If you’re wondering about what you could be doing to leave the world a little better than where you found it, we can help.

Browse our certified home compostable cup line today and see how you can help the world heal from the ground up.