InCycle Cup

Introducing the
®
InCycle
Cup
to the Real World
Ideal Design in a Real World
© MicroGREEN Polymers, Inc. 2014, All Rights Reserved Agenda •  Introducing the take out coffee issue
•  A new perspective on designing solutions
•  The InCycle® cup
•  Constraints in the real world
•  What we are doing
•  What can we learn
Ideal Design in a Real World
© MicroGREEN Polymers, Inc. 2014, All Rights Reserved 10/15/14 2 The Real Buzz Crush
In North America we love our coffee. We drink over 80 billion cups
while we are on the go every year… from disposable cups.
•  58 billion plastic lined paper coffee cups
•  20 million trees cut down and 12 billion gallons of water used
•  25 billion expanded Polystyrene cups
228 100 Ideal Design in a Real World
© MicroGREEN Polymers, Inc. 2014, All Rights Reserved 10/15/14 3 PS 201: Advanced Problem Solving
Ideal Design in a Real World
© MicroGREEN Polymers, Inc. 2014, All Rights Reserved 10/15/14 4 Solving the problem with your coffee cup •  Innovative problem solving: Hot drinks on the go
•  Consumer benefit
•  Low Cost
•  Sustainability
Ideal Design in a Real World
© MicroGREEN Polymers, Inc. 2014, All Rights Reserved 10/15/14 5 •  Fulfills Consumer need
•  Insulating
•  Feel good without changing habits
•  Highly printable so customers could leverage for their
brand equity
•  Lower costs:
•  Feedstock from “waste”
•  Lightweight for low shipping costs
•  Lower Environmental Impact
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Low energy to produce
No water to produce
Low carbon footprint
Lends itself to closed-loop recyclability
Ideal Design in a Real World
© MicroGREEN Polymers, Inc. 2014, All Rights Reserved 10/15/14 6 •  We know this cup is possible… with
transformational innovation
Ideal Design in a Real World
© MicroGREEN Polymers, Inc. 2014, All Rights Reserved 10/15/14 7 InCycle® Cups •  That cup is here today. It’s the insulating InCycle
cup, made from recycled PET, and it’s recyclable.
It’s also light, low-cost, and keeps hot liquid hot
and cold liquid cold. It’s been independently
verified and peer-reviewed as the lowest
environmental footprint single-use cup.
Single material High recycled content Lightweight & InsulaMng Durable Printable Preferred by consumers Ideal Design in a Real World
© MicroGREEN Polymers, Inc. 2014, All Rights Reserved 10/15/14 8 How we make it
Ideal Design in a Real World
© MicroGREEN Polymers, Inc. 2014, All Rights Reserved 10/15/14 9 The Real Magic
Drive in CO2 Δ Pressure Δ Temperature Expand in Solid State Δ Temperature Ready for Thermoforming Hot Air Flotation Oven • 
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Lowers COGS
Achieves up to
80% density
reduction
Precise control of
bubble placement
Ability to control
crystalinity levels
Ideal Design in a Real World
© MicroGREEN Polymers, Inc. 2014, All Rights Reserved 10/15/14 10 InCycle Cup Performance/Benefits
It’s simply a better cup for our customers
•  Price = single wall cup + sleeve
•  No leakers
•  No sleeve
•  No double cupping
•  Great printability/branding
•  Lowest environmental impact of all disposable drink
cups
•  Made in the USA (Arlington, WA)
Ideal Design in a Real World
© MicroGREEN Polymers, Inc. 2014, All Rights Reserved 10/15/14 11 Ideal Design in a Real World
© MicroGREEN Polymers, Inc. 2014, All Rights Reserved 10/15/14 12 Why is InCycle not the standard cup?
•  We don’t really start with a blank slate.
•  We start with the real world.
•  Large capital expenditure needed
•  Immense capital tied up in existing recycling
infrastructure
•  Volume needed for sustainable economic model
Ideal Design in a Real World
© MicroGREEN Polymers, Inc. 2014, All Rights Reserved 10/15/14 13 Capital •  We have a strategic investor profile with investors
interested in the same end-game
Ideal Design in a Real World
© MicroGREEN Polymers, Inc. 2014, All Rights Reserved 10/15/14 14 Capital
•  We established a beachhead in a market that used one
size of cup (also wanted insulation, and craved
lightweight)…
•  This let us invest capital deliberately, so we could earn
as we built capacity and broadened our line.
Ideal Design in a Real World
© MicroGREEN Polymers, Inc. 2014, All Rights Reserved 10/15/14 15 Current Closed Loop
Pre-­‐Sort Ideal Design in a Real World
© MicroGREEN Polymers, Inc. 2014, All Rights Reserved 10/15/14 16 Current Curbside
Mixed PlasMc Ideal Design in a Real World
© MicroGREEN Polymers, Inc. 2014, All Rights Reserved 10/15/14 17 Infrastructure •  In a capital intensive narrow margin business (like
recycling)… change is bad
•  To achieve change, we need more than ‘moral
arguments’
•  We need to make an economic case that will
provide proof of a sustainable business return
Ideal Design in a Real World
© MicroGREEN Polymers, Inc. 2014, All Rights Reserved 10/15/14 18 AcAons •  Creating economic arguments for harnessing the
value of InCycle in recycling programs
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Testing with equipment manufacturers
Testing with PET reclaimers
Testing with MRFs
Conducting pilot study to gain real world experience.
Ideal Design in a Real World
© MicroGREEN Polymers, Inc. 2014, All Rights Reserved 10/15/14 19 The ultimate goal
Ideal Design in a Real World
© MicroGREEN Polymers, Inc. 2014, All Rights Reserved 10/15/14 20 Infrastructure •  Working with trade organizations
Ideal Design in a Real World
© MicroGREEN Polymers, Inc. 2014, All Rights Reserved 10/15/14 21 Infrastructure •  Partnered with 8 MRFs, 5 reclaimers and multiple
municipalities to study the cup’s end of life
•  In a large majority of cases InCycle cups end up in
the mixed plastic bale
Ideal Design in a Real World
© MicroGREEN Polymers, Inc. 2014, All Rights Reserved 10/15/14 22 Results •  Are we completely there yet ?
•  Is this the final answer ?
•  Are we committed to helping grow the incentive to
improve the recycling industries ability to accept
new and more “waste reducing” materials?
Ideal Design in a Real World
© MicroGREEN Polymers, Inc. 2014, All Rights Reserved 10/15/14 23 •  Our job is to get as close to the ideal as
possible, while figuring out ways to solve the
systemic barriers.
•  We’re leading the way on working in
partnership to shift market expectations and
solve the challenges.
Ideal Design in a Real World
© MicroGREEN Polymers, Inc. 2014, All Rights Reserved 10/15/14 24 Thank You
Ideal Design in a Real World
© MicroGREEN Polymers, Inc. 2014, All Rights Reserved