Simply Cups has always recognised that to accelerate the growth of cup recycling it needed to gain the participation from the most significant brands across the entire supply chain.

It also recognises that end-users of cups, typically hospitality and catering companies, are increasingly turning to their suppliers to help them implement new and innovative ways of wasting less and recycling more. So, in a major coup, Simply Cups can now count on, as a new member, Bunzl Catering Supplies, the UK’s leading distributor of disposables, packaging and hygiene solutions into the UK hospitality industry.

Paul Willcocks, Director, Exclusive Brands, Bunzl Catering Supplies said: “According to a recent article in the Financial Times, 1.7bn cups of coffee are being sold each year in the UK, from more than 18,000 outlets, which is set to grow to almost 21,000 by 2020. What this tells us is that disposable hot cups are being sold into a sector which will continue to enjoy considerable market growth, so it is imperative for us a major supplier to this sector that we find a proven solution for our customers to manage this waste stream.

Paul continues: Willcocks, Director, Exclusive Brands, Bunzl Catering Supplies, said, “Disposable hot cups represent a significant proportion of the waste stream and as Founding members of the Simply Cup scheme, we are committed to playing our part in bringing solutions to operators to effectively manage this stream. Simply Cups offers an environmentally beneficial solution that is proven to work, whilst also being commercially beneficial to operators. We very much look forward to facilitating an introduction to the scheme to our customers that will guarantee the recycling of some of the 2.5 billion paper cups currently in the UK which would otherwise be sent to incineration or landfill.”

Bunzl Catering Supplies is wholly committed to providing sustainable solutions and last year, in partnership with London Bio Packaging, it launched two new brands – ‘Sustain and Revive,’ which offers operators a choice of renewable and compostable packaging (Sustain) or recycled and recyclable packaging (Revive). Its aim is to provide its customers with an environmentally responsible end-of-life solution for catering disposable products.

This year, Bunzl Catering Supplies stepped up that commitment, by bringing on board Joanna Gilroy as its Strategic Customer Sustainability Manager with a remit is to work with its customers to find responsible solutions for their waste management. Joanna will closely collaborate with them to help transform their waste into a valuable resource and to change the misconceptions surrounding waste.

“Membership of the Simply Cups scheme compliments our strategy and will help us, and our customers, achieve our sustainability objectives,” commented Paul Willcocks.