Air New Zealand is trialling edible coffee cups, which are vanilla-flavoured and can withstand the heat of coffee without melting, in a bid to reduce the amount of waste on board its planes. 

New Zealand’s national carrier have teamed up with local family-run business, Twiice, to offer passengers edible plant-based cups in its lounges in Auckland and on some select trans-Tasman flights.

Although the airline had already made the big switch to biodegradable cups both on planes and in their branded lounges, Air New Zealans began looking into even more eco-friendly options. It is claimed that the Twiice cups “taste good as well as being good to the earth”.

Handmade in New Zealand in small batches, the Twiice edible cup is no-waste and no dishes. Made without any artificial ingredients,  the edible cup is made from wheat flour, sugar, egg, vanilla essence and natural vanilla flavour.

Twiice said: “We know what you’re thinking though — won’t my drink leak or spill, or won’t the cup crumble like any other biscuit would? Nope, not at all. The twiice cup is leakproof and will stay crisp at least as long as it takes to drink your coffee, and longer. So bite into that vanilla-flavoured goodness and be satisfied that one less takeaway cup will end up in New Zealand’s landfill.”

Air New Zealand currently serves more than eight million cups of coffee each year, and it aims to reduce waste on board with the introduction of the edible cup.

Since last October, passengers travelling with Air New Zealand on both domestic and international flights have been able to enjoy their hot drinks in plant-based coffee cups. If the cups are not eaten, they can easily be broken down in a commercial composter.

Niki Chave, Air New Zealand’s senior manager customer experience, said: “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.”

Jamie Cashmore, co-founder of Twiice, says the edible cups could play a big role in demonstrating to the world that new and innovative ways of packaging are achievable. Twiice is working on extending its edible range of food packaging and expects to roll out new products later this year.

Rosa Medea is Life & Soul Magazine’s Chief. She writes about lifestyle including sustainable and green living. She also offers content services to businesses and individuals at Rosamedea.com