Storm in a Little Coffee Cup: Author Hayley Slack on the future of circular publishing

They can change what we think and how we feel, inspiring new habits and changing how we react to certain situations. This is why children’s stories are so important – they can impart messages that young people will carry with them for life, helping to shape the future one book at a time.

In a sense, Hayley Stack is living proof of this. The Community, Education and Liaison Officer at Biffa is also the newly published author of Little Coffee Cup and the Big Surprise, a children’s story about a paper cup on its journey through the recycling loop. Hayley traces the origins of the book back to her own childhood.

“As a mum, I’ve read thousands of children’s books. I’ve always looked at the start to see where they’ve been printed,” she explains. “I think this came from when I was little – my mum worked at Ottakar’s, so when I was growing up, I used to help with stock picks and check the title pages to see if there were errors.

“I’d always look to see where they were made. And then, when reading to my own children, I’d look and see that most of them are actually made in China. That never sat right with me – shipping books halfway across the world when they could be made in the UK.”

She may not have realised it, but this was the beginning of a new chapter in Hayley’s story – and the first chapter in the story behind Little Coffee Cup and the Big Surprise.

Widespread recycling of paper cups was seen as theoretically possible, but with so many challenges involved that it became unfeasible. The contamination risks from leftover drinks and food debris. The complexities of separating the plastic barrier linings and sorting different materials. The economics of working with items that are relatively bulky but lightweight compared to other paper materials. And so on.

All of these created a chicken-and-egg problem for paper cup recycling. Without a reliable supply of recycled material, the end markets for that material can’t develop. But without those end markets, waste management companies have no incentive to invest in paper cup recycling, which means there is no supply of recycled material. And so on and so on.

But what if the story didn’t have to end there? What if we could break this cycle? What if we could recycle paper cups?

At James Cropper, CupCycling® is our answer to these thorny recycling questions. It’s a dedicated recycling system just for paper cups that strips away the plastic barrier lining (which itself goes on to be recycled separately) from paper cups before pulping them and turning them into high-quality paper and moulded fibre products.

This improves access to recycled paper material and sows the seeds that profitable end markets can use to thrive – end markets like book printing.

Determination and disruption

“I’ve always thought that if I did my own book, I’d want it to be a special book – an environmentally friendly book, I suppose,” Hayley says. “I thought it should be made from recycled content. Working in the waste industry, I know how much paper is generated and wasted every day, and I feel like it’s a natural resource that we could all do more with.

“I contacted some publishers with the idea,” she continues. But unfortunately, she ran into the same old negative perceptions about recycled paper. “Nobody wanted to know. It got my back up, and I said, ‘We can do better than that’.

“Then I was put in touch with Rob Tilsley at James Cropper.”

Just like in every great story, she discovered the route to success just when her journey appeared to be over, and it felt like all was lost. But the creativity of Hayley was now supported by the technical expertise and pioneering spirit of James Cropper. Our ethos meant that, instead of asking how you can turn recycled paper into a book, we instead asked, ‘Why not?’

“Rob explained the cup recycling process and told me it was possible to make a book from coffee cups,” Hayley said. Initially, she envisioned a story about recycled batteries, having run successful engagement campaigns on the topic before in her role at Biffa. But, once she was introduced to CupCycling®, the story of Little Coffee Cup started to take shape. “I’ve always thought it’s best to target children to help us create behaviour change. Once children know something is wrong, they will quite happily tell you it’s wrong – for example, not to put anything in the wrong bin. They quite like having that power and knowledge to spread.

“If it’s easy enough for a child to understand, then it’s easy enough for anyone to understand – if you keep the messaging simple. And if there’s an option to do the right thing, and it’s easy, then people are more likely to do it. If we could present people with that option for coffee cup recycling, then it’s going to change behaviour and create a beautiful product at the end of it.”

The team at James Cropper weren’t Hayley’s only supporters. Friend Lou Kneath, one of the artists whose photography appears in the finished book, quickly became a key creative partner in the project.

After Hayley developed the bones of the story while lying awake in bed one night, she wrote down her thoughts and took them to Lou the next morning. The pair quickly realised the idea was packed with potential.

“Hayley just magicked this idea – it was amazing,” says Lou. “Little Coffee Cup is more than a character, there’s a movement within it as well. It’s so powerful. It’s such an important message. Straight away, we were coming up with designs, riffing on ideas, and trying to showcase that message in the pages and bring it to life.”

The concept came together quickly – in part thanks to a thriving creative partnership, and in part thanks to a visit to the James Cropper factory, which helped cement the final touches to the story. “We went to James Cropper’s site and got a tour. We were shown how the paper was made – that was just mind-blowing. Actually, seeing the magic happen in front of you – I could just see this little character bouncing around the factory, getting all excited about the transformative process they were going through,” adds Lou. “It’s been joyful.”

For Hayley, the process was rewarding – and quick. “I knew I had to work with Lou because we’ve worked together for years on different projects throughout my career,” Hayley said. “She’s always had the art of understanding what I want and turning it into something magical.”

In less than six months, the story and artwork had been fleshed out, and Little Coffee Cup embarked on the adventure that many in the printing industry said was impossible – complete with charming artwork that blended real-life photography with illustration. The final product uses around 13 coffee cups in its 36 pages, upcycled into an inspiring story about engaging with the circular economy and crisply printed in vivid colours.

The pair had plenty of help in testing their work – Hayley’s two children provided regular feedback, as did dozens of local schoolchildren, who contributed over 90 drawings of paper cups that appear in the book. “I presented the final version to my children when we went away for a week,” Hayley says. “Every time we drive past a coffee cup on the floor, they say, ‘Oh, look at poor little Coffee Cup – he looks lonely and sad.’ They actually quote bits of the book when they see coffee cups lying around.

“My daughter is my biggest critic. She is so harsh – it’s so hard to get a smile out of her sometimes! But she really does love the story, which means a lot. If she likes it, that says something.”

Hayley hopes the first books rolling off the printing presses marks a watershed moment for the print and publishing sectors. “The publishing industry is set in its ways,” she explains. “This book kind of challenges the way books are made now, and they probably want to steer away from that because, frankly, it’s a hassle for them.

“That made me determined to prove them wrong. We can do better than that.  Thankfully, Rob at James Cropper agreed and opened the door for Lou and I to spend the last few months creating something magical.”

As Little Coffee Cup and the Big Surprise begins its journey into the hands of young readers, Hayley and the team are looking for a publishing partner who shares their values. “We’re now seeking a partner who’s ready to invest not just in the story, but in what it stands for,” says Hayley. “Someone who’s willing to reassess their environmental credentials, actively support the circular economy, and back UK manufacturing. This book is proof that we can do things differently – now we’re looking for a partner bold enough to join us in challenging the status quo.”

Lou agrees. “Seeing the craftsmanship on show at James Cropper’s factory really tied into the movement behind the story. We don’t always have to do things the way they’ve always been done, and get a book printed by sending the artwork to the cheapest Chinese printing company you can find, getting a print run done, and shipping them all back to the UK.

“This book is about challenging that, and striving to change the status quo is the only way things are going to get better. We couldn’t think of a more fun and exciting way to get that message out there and into the minds of young readers.”

As is so often the case with great art, the story behind the story is often just as interesting. It might seem strange to call a book titled Little Coffee Cup and the Big Surprise subversive – perhaps even punk – with its cute pink googly-eyed mascot and big, bold typography, but the righteous clarity of its message reveals the disruptive spirit behind it.

“It really annoyed me that this isn’t the norm,” says Hayley. “We’ve got this waste stream – why aren’t we using it? I wanted to challenge the publishing industry to try and come up with a different solution. And James Cropper wanted to challenge the recycling industry to think differently about paper cups. Together, we proved both things are possible.”

The potential for the circular economy’s newest, cutest hero to drive change is limitless. Little Coffee Cup’s impact reaches out far beyond the pages of its book, throwing down a gauntlet to recyclers, caterers, printers, publishers, and more. It’s more than a story; it’s a revolution in printing and publishing – a 36-page manifesto for a brighter future that delivers its message where it’s needed most.

One thing is for sure – as we at James Cropper now have the capacity to upcycle 700 million coffee cups a year, and with end markets across the world starting to grow, Little Coffee Cup will continue to have an impact for many years to come – and ensure that this story has a happy ending.