Look around – how many discarded coffee containers do you see? Plenty, we bet. And this is a wide-spread problem acknowledged by coffee and food vendors. Many coffee shops encourage customers to bring reusable cups and mugs for refills, and often provide a discount for this practice. But despite best intentions, it can be easy to forget the refillable mug, or just not have it available at the moment caffeine is craved. Is there another solution?
The answer by Kentucky Fried Chicken is “yes.” KFC is launching edible coffee cups later this year in the United Kingdom. The cups (called Scoff-ee Cups) are not made with traditional paper, but are instead crafted out of a cookie. Yum. The Scoff-ee Cup is made of cookie, wrapped in edible sugar paper, and includes a layer of heat-resistant white chocolate that is not only delicious, but keeps the coffee hot, the cookie crisp, and makes the coffee a little bit sweeter to imbibe. This is not the only edible cup product, but it is the first to be distributed in fast food restaurants.
Group Activities and Discussion Questions:
- Discuss sustainability issues in products and marketing. What are some examples of sustainability in packaging? Non-sustainability (Hint: Think Keurig)?
- Show the video of Scoff-ee Cup:
- Poll students: How many would use this or similar products?
- Identify products or packaging that are damaging the environment due to lack of sustainability.
- Divide students into teams. Have each team brainstorm how products/packages could be improved to promote sustainability.
- What is the target market for such products?
Source: CNET, USA Today, Minneapolis Star Tribune, other news sources
