Breadbowls are a thing, so why not edible coffee cups?
Cutting out single-use plastics is all the rage in the airline industry as airlines look for new ways to cut both costs and their environmental impact. While most airlines like Delta have moved away from plastics by ditching straws and stir sticks, Air New Zealand is taking a decidedly more creative approach. And perhaps a tastier one, too.
The airline is trying out a new line of edible cups by New Zealand company twiice. The cups are vanilla flavored and somehow leakproof, though they're made of corn and paper.
“The cups have been a big hit with the customers who have used these and we’ve also been using the cups as dessert bowls,” said Niki Chave, the airline's senior manager of customer experience.
Air New Zealand says it serves more than 8 million cups of coffee a year. Chave says the airline will continue testing the edible cups onboard and could eventually replace the compostable plastic cups altogether.
With the rise of flight shaming and alarm about the environmental toll of flying, airlines are doing everything they can to reduce their impact.
Bottom Line
Kudos to Air New Zealand for thinking outside the box. Would you eat a vanilla-flavored cup made of corn and paper?
All photos courtesy of Air New Zealand