飲食養(yǎng)生：紙杯還是塑料杯

Stephanie Falk and her husband like smoothies from Jamba Juice. But the San Diego-based coupleboycotted the chain for several months last year because it served its drinks in plastic foam cups.

斯蒂芬妮?福爾克(Stephanie Falk)和她的丈夫都喜歡Jamba Juice的奶昔。但是這對來自 地亞哥的夫婦去年連續(xù)數(shù)月拒絕購買這家連鎖店的飲料，因為店里用泡沫塑料杯盛裝飲料。

'It's the biodegradable factor. There's no excuse. Everybody knows better, ' said Ms. Falk, who like her husband is a wedding photographer.

“我們考慮的是生物降解。店家不該找借口。所有人都明白這一點，”福爾克說，她和丈夫都是婚禮攝影師。

Now, though, Jamba Juice Co. and several other food chains are starting to serve the same drinks in paper cups. Ms. Falk is a fan; her drink stays just as cold in Jamba Juice's new doubled-walled paper cup, she said.

而現(xiàn)在Jamba Juice和其他幾家連鎖餐廳都開始改用紙杯裝飲料。福爾克表示支持，她說她的飲料在Jamba Juice的新雙層紙杯里同樣清涼。

The paper industry likes it a lot too. Production of white copy paper and other forms of 'uncoated' paper has fallen about 38% since 1999, while demand for paper cups is growing as much as 5% a year, according to industry analysts. Environmental concerns from consumers and new bans on plastic foam in more U.S. cities are prompting food chains to make a switch.

造紙行業(yè)對此也非常支持。行業(yè)分析師表示，1999年以來，白色復(fù)印紙以及其他“裸”紙的產(chǎn)量下降了約38%，而紙杯的需求量則以每年5%的幅度遞增。消費者對于環(huán)保的考量以及美國越來越多城市對于泡沫塑料的禁令促使連鎖餐廳做出改變。

Jamba Juice said last year it would adopt paper cups for its smoothies and other cold drinks 'to improve our environmental footprint.' McDonald's Corp. is replacing plastic foam cups with McCafe paper cups at all 14, 000 McCafes across the country. The company says it is trying to be more environmentally conscious and cut costs on trash. Dunkin' Brands Group Inc. has said it is testing paper cups.

Jamba Juice去年表示，他們將采用紙杯來裝奶昔和其他冷飲，“以改善我們的環(huán)境記錄”。麥當(dāng)勞公司(McDonald's Corp.)正在將全美14,000家麥咖啡 (McCafe)的泡沫塑料杯替換成紙杯。該公司表示，他們現(xiàn)在更加注重環(huán)保并縮減垃圾處理開支。Dunkin' Brands Group Inc.說他們正在試用紙杯。

These companies join Starbucks Corp. and some other chains that have been using paper cups for years. Production of paper used to make cups has risen about 16% over the past five years in the U.S., according to industry group American Forest and Paper Association.

這些公司加入了星巴克等多年來都在使用紙杯的連鎖店的行列。行業(yè)組織美國林業(yè)與紙業(yè)協(xié)會(American Forest and Paper Association)的數(shù)據(jù)顯示，過去五年美國用于制造紙杯的紙類產(chǎn)量上升了約16%。

Hoping to take advantage of the growth in demand, International Paper Inc. plans to double the size of a paper-cup manufacturing facility it runs in Kenton, Ohio. The company is coming up with new cup designs--like one already in production that is fully biodegradable with a plant-based lining--and aggressively marketing the benefits of paper to potential customers.

為了迎合這種增長的需求，International Paper Inc.計劃將位于俄亥俄州肯頓(Kenton)的紙杯生產(chǎn)設(shè)備規(guī)模擴大一倍。該公司將推出新的紙杯設(shè)計，例如已投產(chǎn)的一款可完全降解的紙杯，內(nèi)層采用植物原料;他們還努力向潛在客戶營銷，強調(diào)紙杯的優(yōu)勢。

Paper cup and plate production volume is equivalent to about a quarter of the volume of the U.S. copy-paper market, according to consulting firm Fisher International Inc., which specializes in data on the pulp and paper industry.

咨詢公司Fisher International Inc.專長于紙類和紙漿行業(yè)的數(shù)據(jù)分析，其數(shù)據(jù)顯示，美國紙杯和紙碟的產(chǎn)量相當(dāng)于復(fù)印紙產(chǎn)量的四分之一。

Still, 'It seems like a moment in time where the big brands are choosing to take a public position for sustainability, ' said Michael Lenihan, director of sales and customer relations at International Paper. Food businesses 'are now recognizing it as a brand opportunity on a much broader scope.'

不過，“似乎現(xiàn)在大品牌都選擇站在公眾立場來關(guān)注可持續(xù)發(fā)展”，International Paper 銷售與客戶關(guān)系總監(jiān)邁克爾?勒尼漢(Michael Lenihan)說。食品行業(yè)“如今在更廣的層面上將其視為品牌的發(fā)展機遇”。

Environmental advocates say paper is easier on the environment than plastic foam because the latter tends to break up in landfills and then is mistaken by animals for food. Plastic foam is difficult to recycle unless it is kept clean and separated from other types of plastics--so many plants in the U.S. don't take it. It isn't biodegradable.

環(huán)保者表示紙杯比泡沫塑料杯更有利于環(huán)境，因為后者會在填埋時碎裂而被動物誤以為食物。泡沫塑料很難回收，除非它仍然干 并且和其他類型的塑料分離，所以美國的許多回收站并不接受它。它也無法進行生物降解。

Such worries led San Francisco in 2007 and Seattle in 2009 to ban plastic foam, instead requiring food vendors to provide compostable or recyclable to-go containers. Other West Coast cities have followed suit, and New York's City Council voted to ban plastic-foam containers in December unless the industry can prove it is recyclable.

出于這樣的擔(dān)憂，舊金山在2007年、西雅圖在2009年禁止使用泡沫塑料，而要求食品銷售者提供可分解或者可循環(huán)使用的外帶容器。其他西海岸的城市緊隨其后，紐約市議會2013年12月投票禁止使用泡沫塑料容器，除非業(yè)者能夠證明泡沫塑料可以回收。

'Customers are still trying to figure out how prevalent this is going to become, ' says Alec Frisch, vice president and general manager of Georgia-Pacific LLC's beverage category, which produces a range of paper cups, including double-walled and plastic-coated paper cups.

“消費者仍在關(guān)注此類措施的普及情況”，喬治亞?太平洋公司(Georgia-Pacific LLC)負責(zé)飲品類的副總裁兼總經(jīng)理亞力克?弗里施(Alec Frisch)說。該公司生產(chǎn)各種紙杯，包括雙層紙杯以及外層覆有塑料的紙杯。

The plastic-foam industry disputes the notion that foam is less environmentally friendly, chalking it up to misinformation. 'I think there are a lot of misconceptions around polystyrene foam versus paper, ' said Keith Christman, managing director for plastics markets at American Chemistry Council, which represents the industry.Foam is 'composed 95% out of air, so you use less material in the first place making it.' That also results in less energy use and less bulk waste, he added.

泡沫塑料行業(yè)對于產(chǎn)品不環(huán)保的觀點并不認同，認為這是誤傳。“我認為人們在將泡沫塑料和紙比較時存在許多誤解，”行業(yè)協(xié)會美國化學(xué)理事會(American Chemistry Council)塑料市場運營總監(jiān)基思?克里斯特曼(Keith Christman)說。泡沫塑料“95%由空氣組成，所以在最初的生產(chǎn)環(huán)節(jié)可節(jié)省用料”。這也減少了能耗以及廢料體積，他補充道。

A survey commissioned by the ACC shows that in the 50 biggest U.S. cities, about 16% of the population is able to recycle food-service items made out of foam, compared with about 10% for paper.

美國化學(xué)理事會開展的一項調(diào)查顯示，在美國前50大城市中，16%的人會回收泡沫塑料制成的食品容器，相比之下紙制的回收率為10%。

Indeed, paper cups aren't as environmentally friendly as they seem. Only about 11% of recycling plants in the U.S. currently can recycle them, according to the American Forest and Paper Association, because they are typically coated in plastic or have beverage residue. The lack of an 'easily recyclable cup designed for hot beverages' is one reason Dunkin' Brands is still weighing whether to switch to paper, Karen Raskopf, chief communications officer, said.

事實上，紙杯并不像看起來那樣環(huán)保。美國林業(yè)及紙業(yè)協(xié)會的數(shù)據(jù)顯示，目前美國只有約11%的回收站能夠回收紙杯，因為它們通常有塑料覆膜或者有飲料殘留。缺少“適合熱飲的易回收的紙杯”是Dunkin' Brands仍舊在權(quán)衡是否換為紙杯的原因之一，首席公關(guān)卡倫?拉斯科普夫(Karen Raskopf)說。

'At this point, we don't know if our end solution will be paper or another material, ' she added.

“現(xiàn)在我們還不知道最終解決方案會是紙還是其他材料，”她補充道。

McDonald's has been using double-walled paper cups--which have a small pocket of air between them to increase insulation--at about 2, 000 restaurants along the West Coast since 2012. Now it is expanding into the Midwest and parts of the East Coast, says Ian Olson, director of sustainability.

麥當(dāng)勞從2012年起在美國西海岸的約2,000家餐廳使用雙層紙杯，兩層之間有空隙可容納空氣從而增強隔熱效果。如今使用范圍擴展到了中西部以及東海岸部分地區(qū)，可持續(xù)發(fā)展總監(jiān)伊恩?奧爾森(Ian Olson)說。

While the paper cup is more expensive, McDonald's says it will make up the difference in the trash. Most of the chain's waste is paper-based--think wraps, fry cartons and Big Mac boxes--so paper cups can go into the same trash bin, and eventually into recycling bins.

麥當(dāng)勞表示，盡管紙杯更貴，但它在垃圾處理方面的優(yōu)勢可以補償其高價格。這家連鎖餐廳的大部分垃圾都是紙制的――比如包裝紙、薯條盒和漢堡盒――所以紙杯可以放入相同的垃圾桶，最終進入回收桶。

The main challenge for food companies is to find a cup that functions as well as plastic foam and doesn't cost theconsumer more, said Bonnie Riggs, a restaurant industry analyst with consumer market research firm NPD Group. 'I think it really doesn't matter if it keeps everything hot and keeps everything cold and consumers don't have to pay extra for it, ' she said.

食品公司面臨的最大挑戰(zhàn)是找到一款和泡沫塑料功能相同又不增加成本的杯子，消費者市場研究公司NPD集團的餐飲業(yè)分析師邦尼?里格斯(Bonnie Riggs)說。“我認為只要能保冷保熱，而且消費者不用額外付錢，什么樣的杯子都沒關(guān)系，”她說。