Civil society organisations around the world are taking action on Wednesday-Thursday 22-23 March 2017 to demonstrate that awareness is growing about the need to avoid using throwaway cups, which cause harm to people, forests, water and the climate. The international day of action follows the UN International Day of Forests and is an opportunity for consumers to take a forest-friendly action by choosing to use only reusable cups. Organisations around the world are campaigning on throwaway cups: Reforesting Scotland in the UK, Fern in Belgium, Rainforest Relief, Green America and Stand in the US, Markets for Change in Australia, Robin Wood, ARA, Eco-Develop in Germany, Wuhu Ecology Center, Snow Alliance, Green Henan, China Green Student Forum, Green Longjiang, Green Camel Bell, CEPN in China.
Mandy Haggith, co-ordinator of the Environmental Paper Network (EPN) said, ‘Billions of throwaway cups are used every year, then dumped, which is a pointless waste of resources. Paper cups in particular use more than 30 million trees. But ‘cup consciousness’ is growing - more and more people recognise the destructiveness of throwaway cups, and want fast food and drink companies and politicians to make it easy for us always to drink our tea and coffee from reusable vessels. Our message is simple – no throwaway cups.’
Sun Yingji, Program Officer at Green Henan, from Henan Province in China, said, ‘We should take pride in bringing our own cups, otherwise we only see mounting paper cups being thrown away, buried or burnt. It only needs a change of attitude. Every day should be a No Throwaway Cup Day.’
Jannis Pfendtner of Robin Wood, Germany, said, ‘Withinthrowaway culture, such as the German bakery Backwerk. Now many German cities are exploring models to reduce throwaway cup consumption. Today we make clear that throwaway cups aren’t needed at all.’
In September 2016, the EPN launched a global ‘Cupifesto – A Manifesto for No Throwaway Cups’ urging drinks retailers and politicians all over the world to stop encouraging a throwaway culture, by ensuring all cups are reusable. The EPN is a coalition of more than 140 environmental and social non-governmental organisations from 28 countries, who all share a Global Paper Vision for sustainable future paper production and use. The first pillar of the vision is to reduce global paper consumption and promote fair access to paper.
Sun Yingji, Program Officer at Green Henan, from Henan Province in China, said, ‘We should take pride in bringing our own cups, otherwise we only see mounting paper cups being thrown away, buried or burnt. It only needs a change of attitude. Every day should be a No Throwaway Cup Day.’
Jannis Pfendtner of Robin Wood, Germany, said, ‘Withinthrowaway culture, such as the German bakery Backwerk. Now many German cities are exploring models to reduce throwaway cup consumption. Today we make clear that throwaway cups aren’t needed at all.’
In September 2016, the EPN launched a global ‘Cupifesto – A Manifesto for No Throwaway Cups’ urging drinks retailers and politicians all over the world to stop encouraging a throwaway culture, by ensuring all cups are reusable. The EPN is a coalition of more than 140 environmental and social non-governmental organisations from 28 countries, who all share a Global Paper Vision for sustainable future paper production and use. The first pillar of the vision is to reduce global paper consumption and promote fair access to paper.