The NextGen Consortium is rooted in efforts to rethink foodservice packaging. The Consortium’s first initiative, NextGen Cup, was launched to advance recoverable solutions for the fiber, hot and cold, to-go cup system––a critical step to unlock wider innovations and overcome the global infrastructural challenges of single-use packaging.
Through our NextGen Cup Challenge, a global design competition, and our NextGen Circular Business Accelerator, we identified innovative, alternative cup solutions to bring to scale, finding opportunities for reuse models that prolong a material’s lifespan, while simultaneously working to align new solutions with the broader cup recovery infrastructure. It’s critical that we know exactly what happens to cups at end-of-use so that we can better understand how to keep their valuable materials in circulation and out of landfills.
Moving forward, the NextGen Consortium is expanding its impact beyond the to-go cup, now advancing the design, commercialization and recovery of a variety of foodservice packaging types, and the systems that support circularity.
The Consortium draws upon the experience and expertise of brands, municipalities, material recovery facilities and manufactures to scale its impact. Beyond reimagining the life cycle of the fiber in to-go cups, the Consortium addresses the issues of packaging waste on multiple fronts: exploring a variety of packaging innovations, testing reuse & refill models to reduce the overall use of packaging materials, and strengthening the materials recovery & recycling systems to support this transition.
Closed Loop Partners’ Center for the Circular Economy manages the Consortium. Founding Partners Starbucks and McDonald’s lead the unprecedented pre-competitive collaboration amongst consumer brands committed to advancing foodservice packaging solutions, including the hot and cold fiber cup. The Coca-Cola Company, Yum! Brands, Nestlé, Wendy’s and Jacobs Douwe Egberts are supporting partners. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) advises our strategy and all initiatives. IDEO is our innovation partner.
Andy Corlett, Global Director, Global Packaging Solutions, Innovation & Sustainability, Starbucks
Marion Gross, Chief Supply Chain Officer, North America, McDonald’s
Kate Daly leads the Center for the Circular Economy at Closed Loop Partners, an innovation center for research, analysis and collaboration to accelerate the transition to a circular economy in which materials are shared, re-used and continuously cycled.
Bridget Croke leads external affairs including investor partnerships, industry partnerships, communications and special projects at Closed Loop Partners.
Daniel Liswood is a Director at the Center for the Circular Economy where he manages the NextGen Consortium, a multi-year partnership of foodservice industry leaders, to address single-use foodservice packaging waste globally by advancing the design, commercialization and recovery of foodservice packaging alternatives.
Georgia Sherwin works across platforms at Closed Loop Partners on branding and communications, spreading the word about the work the firm does in building a more circular economy.
Dr. Sandeep Kulkarni, the President of KoolEarth Solutions Inc., is currently supporting the NextGen Consortium as a technical advisor. He has over two decades of industry experience in the area of sustainable packaging, including paper and bioplastics-based packaging.
Michael Sadowski works with the NextGen Consortium on stakeholder engagement and industry partnerships to advance cup recovery.