Selfridges has launched a closed-loop recycling project to recycle disposed coffee cups generated at its Oxford Street headquarters and store into its well-known yellow paper bags.
The company has partnered with environmental solutions company Veolia and James Cropper 3D products to produce the recycled bags.
After Veolia bales and checks the quality, it is then reprocessed at James Cropper 3D products CupCycling Plant, with each bag containing 20% cup fibre, and the remaining fibre continuing to be PEFC certified.
The bags will include the CupCycling logo to certify that the fibre has been processed through James Cropper’s plant and after use can be recycled through the natural paper waste process.
Selfridges director of retail projects and FM Chris Brant said: “With our partners James Cropper and Veolia, we can take coffee cups, a waste product of ours and transform it into our yellow kraft bag, thereby closing the loop on that particular waste stream. Not only that, but the bags can still be recycled for years to come. We’re proud to be the first retailer to upcycle our cups in this way. Our customers are becoming ever more aware of global waste issues and I think our customers will appreciate the story behind the bag.”
