Air New Zealand Tests Edible Coffee Cups To Reduce Waste

New Zealand is determined to make a difference when it comes to sustainability and reducing waste of any kind that’s killing the planet. Almost a month after passing a ‘Zero Carbon’ bill which aims to reduce the country’s greenhouse gas emissions to a near-neutral level by 2050, it’s now New Zealand’s national carrier that’s striving to make a difference.

Air New Zealand has teamed up with local Kiwi family-run business Twiice to create an edible coffee cup, which is being trialled in lounges in Auckland and on some flights between Australia and New Zealand. The biscotti cups are vanilla flavoured and couple up as a sweet treat for passengers once they’ve finished their hot coffee or tea.

The trial comes not long after the New Zealand flag carrier introduced biodegradable cups on the ground and in the air in the hope that the eight million coffee cups that the airline serves per year would not end up in landfill. The airline also encourages its passengers to bring reusable cups on-board flights and to lounges. Further Air New Zealand hopes that in addition to the recycled water bottles that it already uses, the edible cups will be scalable and become a long-term viable replacement for single-use plastic cups.