Air New Zealand Experiments with Edible Coffee Cups

Air passengers are starting to demand airlines and governments to instill more sustainable options for air travel.

And while most immediately jump to cutting the carbon footprint, Air New Zealand is finding a unique way to cut down on its plastic consumption – with the use of edible coffee cups.

“We’ve been working in partnership with innovative New Zealand company ‘twiice’ to explore the future of edible coffee cups, which are vanilla flavored and leakproof,” Air New Zealand Senior Manager Customer Experience Niki Chave said in a statement. “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.”

The airline made the switch earlier to plant-based cups which are now used onboard all of their aircrafts and in their airport lounges.

And while this may look like a small change, it makes a big impact on the environment – keeping about 15 million plastic cups annually from ending up in a landfill.

The company is trying to take their initiative one step further. Teaming up with the local New Zealand company, Twiice, the airline is now testing out cups that will remove even their compostable cups from landfills as well.

A win for air travelers and the environment alike, Twiice intends to continue its trial while also expanding its collection of edible crockery. Air New Zealand plans to continue working with the company and others in hopes of making the edible coffee cup a staple for the airline.