星巴克、麥當(dāng)勞們辦了個杯子比賽，這3種新杯子你喜歡哪種？

這其中有一個很重要的版塊就是一次性杯子了，這些餐廳每天都要用掉天文數(shù)字的杯子，而這些杯子的回收是一個很麻煩的問題。

目前他們正在通過一場大規(guī)模的創(chuàng)新比賽來鼓勵新型的環(huán)保杯子的誕生。

McDonald’s and Starbucks. Yum brands. Nestlé. Coca-Cola. Wendy’s.

麥當(dāng)勞和星巴克、百勝餐飲集團(tuán)、雀巢、可口可樂、溫迪。

They’re some of the most powerful food and beverage companies in the world, and they’re all throwing their weight behind a collective effort to tackle a big problem:

他們是世界上最強(qiáng)大的食品和飲料公司，都在共同努力解決一個大問題：

the 250 billion fiber cups that pile up in landfills each year, most of which will need 1,000 years to biodegrade since they’re actually coated in a micro layer of polyethylene.

每年有2500億個纖維紙杯被送到垃圾填埋場，其中大部分需要1000年才能生物降解，因為它們實際上覆蓋了一層聚乙烯微型膜。

The goal? To create the ultimate disposable paper cup–one that can both be composted and recycled, anywhere in the world.

他們的目標(biāo)?創(chuàng)造出一種終極的方便紙杯——既可以回收也可以做成堆肥，而且可以在世界上的任何地方這么干。

We covered the project, called the Next Gen Cup Challenge, when it was announced last July.

去年7月，當(dāng)這個名為“下一代杯挑戰(zhàn)賽”的項目宣告啟動的時候，我們報道過它。

All of the shortlisted technologies take one of three basic approaches.

所有入圍的技術(shù)都采用三種基本方法中的一種。

A few propose replacements to the aforementioned polyethylene liner in paper cups. While polyethylene keeps paper waterproof, insulates a drink to keep it hot or cold, and can prevent sweaty condensation from building outside the cup, it’s also the primary component that keeps most paper cups from being recycled or composted.

第一批人建議更換掉上述紙杯里的聚乙烯內(nèi)襯。聚乙烯可以防水、隔熱、保溫，還可以防止水珠凝結(jié)在杯子外面，但它也是防止大多數(shù)紙杯被回收或制成肥料的主要成分。

A second group of finalists proposes radical new paper composites that need no liner at all, allowing them to biodegrade or be recycled easily.

第二類的決賽者提出了根本不需要襯墊的新型紙復(fù)合材料，這讓它們能被生物降解或者輕松回收。

And a third category proposes another direction entirely: reusable cups that can be collected after being used, through either a subscription or scout’s honor system at your local Starbucks.

第三類則完全提出了另一個方向：可重復(fù)使用的杯子，在使用后可以通過訂閱會員的體系或當(dāng)?shù)匦前涂说耐榆姌s譽(yù)系統(tǒng)來收集。

Over the next few months the finalists will find out if their cups can be made by the traditional cup supply chain, by working directly with factories that partner with companies like McDonald’s to produce their current cups.

在接下來的幾個月里，決賽者們將會直接與那些為麥當(dāng)勞等公司生產(chǎn)杯子的工廠合作，來看他們設(shè)計的杯子是否可以通過傳統(tǒng)的杯子供應(yīng)鏈來制作，。

This is crucial; their designs need to be able to scale within the current manufacturing infrastructure rather than requiring completely bespoke production methods.

這是至關(guān)重要的;他們的設(shè)計需要能夠用當(dāng)前的制造業(yè)基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施生產(chǎn)，而不是要求完全定制生產(chǎn)方法。