After securing €4 million in funding from Horizon Europe, Notpla is leading a three-year R&D programme to develop a disposable coffee cup with a natural, home-compostable coating.
Officially launched in October 2025, the three-year project unites fourteen partners from across Europe and Africa: AIMPLAS, Walki, University College London, Linköping University, the University of Ferrara, CEAMSA, TomaPaint, RAIZ, Polytechs, Compass Group, Plastic Punch, Funditec, and Plymouth Marine Laboratory.
The consortium plans to develop a safe, natural, and high-performing coating material that can be recycled or composted at end-of-life. Together, the partners will undertake real-world performance testing, consider the scalability of its manufacturing methods, and comply with European regulations and end-of-life treatments.
The project responds to findings that up to 500 billion single-use cups are used globally every year. Many of them are paper cups lined with plastic or bioplastics, with fewer than 1% thought to be recycled in practice.
Additionally, the environmental and human health impacts of microplastic contamination have come into question. One study suggests that a disposable paper cup with a plastic liner can leach approximately 25,000 micron-sized particles into 100ml of hot water in 15 minutes.
“The disposable coffee cup looks like a simple invention, but it hides a complex problem, from poor recycling rates to the release of microplastics into hot drinks that people consume,” explains Pierre Paslier, co-founder of Notpla. “This project gives us the chance to tackle that issue at its source, by developing a natural coating that delivers the performance needs without the implications to human health.”
“Coffee is one of the most widely consumed foodservice products, so improving the cup has the potential to deliver real impact at a huge scale,” continues Kevin Watson, sustainability director at Levy – part of Compass UK&I. “What makes this project exciting is its focus on solutions that can work across busy, real-world sites, combining innovation with the operational realities of foodservice.”
Paul Webb, head of the Green Europe Department of the European Research Executive Agency (REA), adds: “I am absolutely delighted that the REA is funding this innovative project that tackles a real-world environmental challenge. Congratulations to Notpla and all their partners, I am looking forward to seeing the results, and especially to seeing a significant reduction in the use of disposable plastic cups.”
Notpla and its partners plan to share the project’s progress as the research evolves.
The development comes as Imperial College London adopts Notpla’s home-compostable foodservice packaging for its catering operations. The project is anticipated to replace more than 450,000 units of single-use plastic packaging and cut 13,300kg of carbon emissions.
In another solution, Cupffee offers an edible coffee cup made from seven locally sourced ingredients, including natural grains like oat bran and wheat flour. If the cup is not eaten, it is said to be 100% biodegradable and completely break down ‘in weeks’.
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