Tropical Smoothie, a popular smoothie and cafe chain with over 900 locations across the United States, has faced scrutiny in recent years for its continued use of plastic and styrofoam cups, despite a growing trend towards more eco-friendly packaging options. In an age of increasing awareness around sustainability and reducing plastic waste, many customers and environmental advocates have questioned why Tropical Smoothie clings to cups made from polystyrene foam rather than switching to renewable materials.
In this article, we’ll explore some of the main reasons behind Tropical Smoothie’s cup choice, including cost considerations, customer convenience, and corporate decision-making. We’ll also look at some of the environmental and health concerns around styrofoam, and whether alternative cup materials like paper or compostable plastics could provide feasible options for Tropical Smoothie to adopt a greener cup solution. By weighing the factors on both sides of this issue, we can better understand the rationale and potential pathways forward for Tropical Smoothie’s cup sustainability practices.
Why Has Tropical Smoothie Stuck With Styrofoam Cups?
Tropical Smoothie utilizes foam #6 polystyrene cups for both their blended fruit smoothies as well as their cafe beverages like coffee and tea. Polystyrene foam is a lightweight, inexpensive plastic material that can be molded into cups and containers. Compared to other materials like paper, aluminum, or compostable plastics, polystyrene foam is generally cheaper per cup and provides good insulation to keep drinks hot or cold.
For a fast-casual restaurant chain serving high volumes of cold blended fruit drinks in many locations across the country, using an inexpensive insulating material like polystyrene foam offers some advantages. Some of the main reasons Tropical Smoothie may continue to utilize foam cups include:
Cost and Performance
Polystyrene foam cups are significantly cheaper for restaurants to purchase in bulk compared to renewable alternatives. Foam cups can cost less than half the price of paper or compostable plastic cups. For a large chain serving hundreds of thousands of drinks per day, this cost difference can substantially impact expenses. The lightweight nature of foam cups also reduces shipping costs. Foam cups offer better insulation for maintaining drink temperatures, especially for frozen blended smoothies, compared to paper cups. The combination of low cost and good insulation properties provides financial and performance incentives for Tropical Smoothie to maintain the status quo with foam.
Familiarity and Convenience
Tropical Smoothie has utilized foam cups since its founding in 1997. For customers, the iconic branded foam cup has become part of the experience and brand identity. Switching cup materials could annoy some customers who prefer foam or expect foam cups at Tropical Smoothie. Operationally, foam cups require less specialized equipment or training than paper or compostable cups. Staff are already accustomed to storing, handling, and serving drinks in foam cups. Changing practices around different cup materials could inconvenience stores and staff.
Corporate Caution and Priorities
While some food chains like Starbucks have made public commitments to phase out foam cups by offering recyclable or compostable alternatives, Tropical Smoothie has taken a slower and more cautious approach to any cup changes. Their corporate leadership may be hesitant to switch materials quickly or make bold sustainability promises they can’t guarantee to keep. Without major public pressure, Tropical Smoothie corporate doesn’t appear to view shifting from foam cups as a top priority compared to other business initiatives. They seem to hope they can fly under the radar on this issue.
Environmental and Health Concerns With Foam Cups
Despite the business factors in favor of retaining foam cups, Tropical Smoothie’s continued use of polystyrene foam has raised growing criticism and concerns about the material’s negative environmental and health impacts:
Not Properly Recyclable
While technically recyclable, polystyrene foam is rarely accepted in curbside recycling programs due to difficulties separating materials and potential contamination. Foam is also very lightweight so takes up excessive space in recycling trucks and facilities for minimal material recovery. Most foam cups end up in landfills or as pollution. Some studies have found foam cups make up over 25% of all branded litter found on beaches and waterways.
Not Compostable
Unlike paper cups or plant-based compostable plastic cups, polystyrene foam does not biodegrade naturally or in commercial composting facilities. Even 500 years after being littered, a foam cup will remain intact and not decompose back into the earth. With more cities adopting compost bins and food scrap collection programs, foam cups are becoming increasingly outdated.
Made From Fossil Fuels
Polystyrene is produced from styrene, a petroleum-based molecule made from fossil fuels like oil and natural gas. Extracting styrene through fracking, refining, and plastic manufacturing contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and perpetuates dependence on non-renewable resources. Using paper cups made from trees or plant-based plastic cups made from crops provides more closed-loop, circular production.
Potential Health Risks
There are some concerns that polystyrene can leach potentially hazardous chemicals like styrene and benzene into hot or acidic foods and drinks. Long-term exposure to these compounds may increase risks of hormone disruption, cancer, and other health effects, although conclusive data is limited. Foam cups may also introduce trace amounts of plastic nanoparticles into beverages.
Greener Alternatives Are Readily Available
The most compelling counterpoint to Tropical Smoothie’s current loyalty to foam cups is that many readily available, cost-effective, and eco-friendly alternatives exist in the paper and compostable plastic cup markets. Switching cup materials could significantly benefit the environment without necessarily hurting the company’s bottom line. Some options include:
Paper Cups
Insulated paper cups coated with biodegradable polyethylene or bioplastics provide decent insulation properties and renewable sourcing compared to foam. Major chains like Starbucks and McDonald’s have transitioned toward paper cups. Bulk paper cups can cost 1-2 cents more per cup than foam, but provide sustainability marketing benefits.
PLA Plastic Cups
Plant-based PLA (polylactic acid) plastic cups made from corn starch biodegrade in commercial composting facilities. PLA cups offer good insulation and a similar look and feel to plastic foam cups. Pricing is comparable to foam at around 1-2 cents per cup. Several eco-friendly chains use PLA cups.
Bagasse Cups
Sugarcane fiber leftover from juice extraction can be molded into insulated disposable cups. Bagasse cups compost quickly and represent fair trade closed-loop agriculture. Large brands like Tim Hortons use bagasse. Per-cup costs are slightly higher than foam but offer ethical sourcing.
Reusable Cups
Tropical Smoothie could incentivize reusable mug and cup use by offering discounts to customers who bring their own drinkware. Reusable programs eliminate disposable cup waste entirely. Starbucks offers a $0.10 discount for personal reusable cups.
Projected Impacts of Switching Cup Materials for Tropical Smoothie
If Tropical Smoothie sought to adopt greener cup alternatives like paper or plant-based plastic on a chain-wide scale, what could the potential impacts look like? Here we’ll break down estimated effects across areas like cost, operations, and sustainability.
| Impact Area | Polystyrene Foam Cups (Current) | Alternative Materials |
|---|---|---|
| Product Cost | $0.02 per cup | $0.03-0.05 per cup |
| Landfill Waste | Not Recyclable | Compostable |
| Public Relations | Negative scrutiny | Positive press |
| Insulation Properties | Excellent | Good-Moderate |
| Required Operational Changes | None | Moderate retraining |
This overview shows that while greener cup materials may incur slightly higher per-unit costs, this could be offset by sustainability benefits like lower waste management fees, positive marketing, and eco-conscious customer appeal. Operational changes around new cup types would require some short-term investments but become standardized over time.
Steps Tropical Smoothie Could Take to Shift Toward Sustainable Cups
Transitioning a large franchise business like Tropical Smoothie away from a deeply entrenched cup product like polystyrene foam would understandably require detailed strategizing and gradual scaled implementation. Here are some potential action steps the company could consider if it decides to respond to calls for a greener cup solution:
1. Run a pilot program
Test out new cup materials like paper, PLA plastic or bagasse across 10-20 stores in various markets for 6 months. Gather data on costs, operational impacts, and customer feedback.
2. Report pilot results and make strategic plan
Analyze results of the pilot. Create a long-term plan for chain-wide transition to new cup materials with timelines, budget estimates, and milestones.
3. Phase in new cups regionally
Slowly roll out new cups market-by-market over next 2-3 years. Provide stores training and transition support. Offer marketing promotions around the switch.
4. Reach 85%+ new cup adoption
Within 3 years, aim for at least 85% of all Tropical Smoothie locations to have shifted to more eco-friendly cups, with any remainder on schedule pending. Send foam cups to outlet stores.
5. Tout sustainability achievement
Announce completion of company-wide sustainable cup transition in annual report and media campaigns. Emphasize waste reduction and leadership.
The Future of Tropical Smoothie Cups
While Tropical Smoothie currently remains reluctant to move away from its signature foam cups in the near term, it’s clear that pressure for more sustainable options will likely continue growing. As environmental concerns around plastic pollution and climate change intensify globally in the coming decade, the company will eventually reach an inflection point where transitioning to greener cup alternatives becomes the prudent option financially, operationally, and ethically.
With viable solutions readily available and public sentiment favoring eco-friendly businesses, Tropical Smoothie has both ample reasons and resources to evolve on cup sustainability. It may require short-term costs and effort, but phasing out foam in favor of compostable materials can position Tropical Smoothie as a forward-thinking, responsible brand. By taking the initiative to reduce its packaging waste and environmental footprint, Tropical Smoothie can continue serving up delicious smoothies for decades to come – in cups that support a healthier planet.
