5 questions for…. the K3® cup
The K3® cup can do many things, but it can't talk – so Fabian Grabner, Global Product Group Manager at Greiner Packaging, answered on its behalf.
Our products accompany millions of people in their everyday lives. They offer our customers added value and make life better: our plastic packaging protects products and extends the shelf life of food. Our medical products make a real difference to people's healthcare. For our foam products, on the other hand, comfort is our top priority - whether it's for mattresses or airplane seats.
In our "5 questions to" series, we ask our products questions at regular intervals. Since they can't answer them themselves, our product managers answer them - in this case Fabian Grabner, Global Product Group Manager, Greiner Packaging.
Unlike most of my kind, I don’t just consist of a plastic body, but of two components: a plastic cup on the inside and a cardboard wrap on the outside. If you want to dispose of me after use, you can easily separate the plastic and cardboard and throw both materials separately into the correct waste bins. And my new, patented tear-off system makes it even easier.
Actually, I was born out of a crisis. In the early 1980s, oil prices soared because of the oil crisis at the time, which also made life difficult for the plastics industry. As we all know, crude oil is needed to produce plastic. So the Swiss site in Diepoldsau developed packaging that uses less plastic without compromising product safety – and I’m the result!
I’m produced with less plastic than conventional cups because I also have a cardboard wrap, which means I’m thin but strong. So I’m good for the environment because less plastic conserves resources and significantly reduces carbon emissions.
Yes, I am ideal for recycling if consumers separate cardboard and plastic properly. I can also be made from recycled material myself. My cardboard wrap is made with up to 100% recycled material, and up to 100% recycled PET material can also be used for my plastic cup.
In my latest version, the K3® r100, my two components separate themselves during the waste disposal process. So my superb recycling properties work all by themselves now. I’m no longer dependent on consumers.
