"Strengthening ESG Management" Seven Eleven Fully Replaces Plastic Ice Cups with Paper Cups

Seven Eleven is taking active steps in ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) activities to reduce plastic usage. On the 2nd, Seven Eleven announced that it will completely replace regular size (180g) plastic ice cups with paper ice cups.

In January last year, Seven Eleven became the first in the industry to introduce regular size paper ice cups. The paper ice cups received great response from the environmentally conscious and value-driven MZ generation (Millennials + Generation Z), selling 2.5 million units last year alone.

Seven Eleven had been operating both PET-A plastic ice cups and paper ice cups concurrently. However, with growing social consensus on reducing disposable products and to actively practice ESG management, the company decided to fully switch regular size ice cups to paper ice cups starting this year.

Seven Eleven’s paper ice cups use FSC-certified paper made from wood and paper produced without deforestation, and employ an eco-friendly coating technology called ‘Sol Coat.’ Notably, Sol Coat has over 30% lower moisture permeability than regular paper cups, maintains the cup’s shape well even when holding cold beverages, and reduces the use of synthetic resin as well as carbon and greenhouse gas emissions.

Convenience store ice cups are a popular product with over 100 million units sold annually (based on Seven Eleven), available in regular and large sizes. With Seven Eleven’s decision to replace regular size ice cups with paper ones, plastic cup usage can be reduced by more than 50 million units annually immediately.

Since 2018, Seven Eleven has led the convenience store industry in ESG management by developing environmentally friendly ice cups. In July 2018, it introduced fully unprinted ice cups to increase recycling rates, a first in the distribution industry. In 2020, it switched plastic ice cup material to PET-A resin with excellent recyclability. Last year, it became the first in the industry to introduce paper ice cups.

Lee Si-cheol, MD of Seven Eleven’s Ready-to-Eat Food Team, said, “We plan to gradually eliminate plastic ice cups for a better environment,” adding, “Replacing them with paper ice cups will enhance consumer satisfaction in the era of value consumption and positively contribute to the culture of reducing disposable products.”