IEMA Sustainability Impact Award Winners 2019

CupCycling is an example of the circular economy in action. With more than 60,000,000 cups already processed, it shows how collaboration between businesses can lead to successful outcomes for industry and the environment and be potentially transformative at a national scale.

IEMA – Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment

Launched by IEMA, the professional body for everyone working in environment and sustainability, the awards showcase the achievements of organisations striving to meet IEMA’s global sustainability standards.

The awards honour those who are working together to make our economy, society and environment future-proof, using innovation, creativity, collaboration and expert knowledge to achieve change. The awards celebrate those demonstrating their expertise to challenge norms, influence governments, drive new kinds of enterprise, inspire communities and show how to achieve measurable change on a global scale.

IEMA commented:

“James Cropper, the paper innovator based in the English Lake District, supply paper products to brands, art galleries and designers. Its CupCycling process, which turns disposable coffee cups into paper and packaging, is helping to reduce the amount of single-use coffee cups entering the waste stream. The scheme’s success is illustrated by the fact that several national coffee shop chains and retailers have signed up to be either material providers or purchasers of the recycled product.

High street restaurants and retailers such as Costa, McDonald’s and Starbucks have installed cup collection stations, and there are now more than 4,000 dedicated cup recycling stations nationwide. The used cups are collected by 10 waste management partners across the country for processing, before being delivered to the James Cropper plant.”

Based in the English Lake District, a UNESCO world heritage site, our business focus is on development and growth that doesn’t compromise the area’s unique ecology or landscape.

Sustainability is one of our business pillars and driving decisions and innovation.

The drive to design out waste continues to embolden the CupCycling offering with further collaboration between brands such as Burberry, Lush and Selfridges, retailers, waste management companies and James Cropper who continue to be recognised as leading innovators in the recovery of this valuable fibre resource.

From the raw materials we use and the energy we consume, the people we employ, the communities we support and which, in turn, support our organisation – sustainability will continue to provide the stable platform for future growth.

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