Did you
know that
carton coffee
cups are not
necessarily
biodegradable?
Of course the carton bit of the
coffee cups is biodegradable, al-
though one must also consider the
ink and glue used in the making
of the cups. However more obvi-
ously, is that carton is permeable
and thus does not hold liquids.
For this reason, carton coffee cups
are lined with some form of plas-
tic. It is this part which of course,
just like normal plastic, does not
biodegrade.
Can one find biodegradable
carton coffee cups?
Sure. Carton coffee cups these
days are also being lined with
PLA, which is a plant-based pol-
ymer. This PLA passes EN13432
which is the European Norm for
biodegradability.
How can one know what he’s
buying??? Rightly so, we are not all
experts in this field…
Like with most things, suppliers
must substantiate any claims they
make, especially if a claim relates
to European norms, laws etc.
The most professional approach
would be to ask for the test re-
ports or test results wherein a 3rd
party accredited laboratory or
consulting company (on behalf
of the lab) confirms ‘the claim’.
The serious manufacturers have
these provided on demand, and if
genuine will even hold in court.
You’re safe!
joy taking all the hard work, new
tech, complex solutions, vast op-
tions and deals, and making it easy
for our clients to choose their line
of goods. The above example is
one of so many complexities the
market needs from you, and we’re
happy to back you up by providing
you with all the options easily dis-
played for you to choose.
2020 is going to be a fun year full
of novelty and excitement – stay
tuned!
We at Longbow love our trade and
love to service our clients. We en-
www.longbowmalta.com
HOSPITALITY MALTA
Issue 06
53