“My Coffee, Our Planet” – a graphic design competition is launched to create a new look for the paper cups

Coca-Cola HBC Hungary is withdrawing its single-use plastic cups from the Hungarian market. The plastic cups, typically used in coffee- and other hot drink vending machines, will be replaced by fully recyclable paper cups in around 1000 hot drink vending machines across the country. The transition is gradual with the aim to be completed by the first half of 2022. The replacement of the cups is going to be an eye-catching and awareness-raising process, as Coca-Cola HBC Hungary, in cooperation with MOME, has launched a graphic design competition for students at the university. The goal is to create a new look for the paper cup that promotes consumer awareness and draws attention to the importance of keeping waste in the cycle, thus encouraging the recycling of paper cups.

In line with the company’s sustainability efforts, Coca-Cola HBC Hungary is withdrawing its plastic cups, which are typically used in coffee machines. By the first half of 2022, vending machines, mainly displayed in workplaces, educational institutions, supermarket lobbies, transport hubs, and healthcare facilities, are aimed to serve beverages only in cups made of 100% recyclable paper. By replacing the millions of cups used annually, the company will use between 25 and 30 tonnes less plastic.

“As a responsible company, we believe that all packaging has value and life after its primary use. Due to innovations in recent years, our beverage packaging is 100% recyclable. We believe in the widest possible range of sustainable packaging: what connects all our packaging, including the cups available in hot drink vending machines, is the importance of recycling and reusing,” said Orsolya Nyilas, External Communications Manager at Coca-Cola HBC Hungary and a jury member of the “My Coffee, Our Planet” competition. “We cannot achieve our circular vision alone. The circular economy is built on collaboration, working together with consumers, decision-makers, industry players, and professional organisations towards a common goal. Creating a circular economy requires a multi-actor collaboration that we are also trying to empower. We seek active dialogue and cooperation. Our joint competition with MOME can become part of this dialogue as it aims to inform consumers that it truly matters what they drink their daily coffee from, and it is important that packaging remains part of the cycle.”

The introduction of the new cups made of 100% recyclable paper not only contributes to the sustainability of our physical environment, but builds our visual environment too, as the surface of the cup is also a communication platform. The transition starts with an exciting visual design competition. In order to achieve this plan, Coca-Cola HBC Hungary has invited the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design to a collaboration: the design of the paper cups will be selected from the work of MOME students. The entries are going to be judged by Orsolya Nyilas, External Communications Manager at Coca-Cola HBC Hungary, Sándor Horváth, At-Work Manager at Coca-Cola HBC Hungary, Balázs Vargha, Head of Media Institute at MOME, Réka Matheidesz, Head of EU Projects at MOME, and Lídia Gulyás, social media specialist and illustrator. The jury will select the winner and runners-up from a shortlist of 10 entries. The prize of the competition is a total of 1.6 million HUF (gross), and the winning design will be displayed in 1,000 vending machines nationwide.

“MOME is eager to participate in corporate or brand collaborations that have a forward-thinking innovative purpose, representing high-quality, excellence, and an important value. MOME’s Media Institute and the Department of Graphic Design provided professional guidance and advice as well as university mobilisation for the project”, said Balázs Vargha, Head of the MOME Media Institute and a member of the jury.

This is not the first time Coca-Cola has shown its commitment to promoting recycling through its packaging. With this year’s Empty Bottles Also Matter campaign, the company has raised awareness of the importance of selective waste collection and reminded consumers on the caps and on their bottles that packaging of Coca-Cola products are 100% recyclable, so every bottle has a place in the circular economy.

Learn more about our circular economy and our World Without Waste strategy here.

For the second time, the GreenDependent Institute calculated the annual carbon footprint of the members of a community in Hungary: in cooperation with the Pécsimami Association, 21 households around Pécs were included in the survey. According to the project supported by Daikin Hungary, the value of residential CO2 emissions measured during the pandemic was significantly lower than before the COVID-period.

The main goal of the initiative is for the participating households to learn about the size of the carbon footprint associated with their daily lifestyles, which is the largest and most growing part of humanity’s ecological footprint. The GreenDependent Institute and Daikin Hungary assessed the daily carbon emissions of a Hungarian community for the second time. The two organizations measured and calculated the annual household carbon footprint of 21-21 families in Piliscsaba for 2019 and in Pécs for 2020.

The components of the carbon footprint cover 6 consumption areas, the most significant of which are household energy consumption, transport (mobility) and meals, which account for an average of 2/3 of a household’s footprint. The survey focused on four of the 6 areas for which data were collected through a self-report using an online questionnaire.

The average carbon footprint per capita of the families included in the assessment, calculated on the basis of research factors, is 2.74 t CO2 for 2020, which is a very encouraging result and supports the possibility to live on a smaller carbon footprint than an average footprint of 6.2 t CO2e / person / year. In light of this, the target of 2-2.5 t CO2e / capita / year agreed in the context of the Paris Climate Agreement does not seem achievable either.

Most of the average carbon footprint of participating households is accounted for by the energy consumption of their home. This is followed by meals, which are responsible for about a third of families ’footprints, while daily transportation is a little over a sixth of it.

However, it is important to take into account that in the epidemic year 2020, the majority of families completely paused or minimized the number of regular or leisure-related trips and vacations. These two areas accounted for only 2–2 percent of the footprint of participating families; which was much lower than in the case of the Piliscsaba community included in the calculation in the previous year, and also at the value calculated in international studies, which is at least 20% of the average carbon footprint.

In 2020, our lifestyle changed in many ways as a result of the epidemic, which resulted, among other things, in the Earth Overshoot Day being postponed 3 weeks later than in 2019. This was largely due to a decrease in the carbon footprint component, which is also supported by the results of this year’s research, particularly in relation to the travel-related carbon footprint.

Let’s not forget though, that this extraordinary year is over, and in 2021, Earth Overshoot Day was again on July 29, as it was before the pandemic, in 2019. This is why it is important that once one is familiar with the lifestyle emissions, action is being taken in order to reduce them permanently. In connection with GreenDependent’s more than a decade of experience, 10-30% energy savings, thus carbon footprint reduction, can be achieved only by changing consumer behavior without an investment involving technological modernization.

The results of the survey, as well as carbon footprint reduction opportunities through behavior change, retrofits & technology change will be discussed at a dissemination event at 3 p.m. October 14, 2021 in a hybrid form. The physical location is the new office space of Daikin Hungary (1117 Budapest, Alíz u. 3.). We also enable for you to participate virtually. Participation is free, but registration is required. To register, please fill out the form at the link: https://bit.ly/3Cdl6BA

The school supply collection campaign organised by the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta and SPAR Hungary has closed with great success; the inaugural campaign called “Adni Öröm!” (Joy to Give!) raised an outstanding 57,000 school supply items for children in need with shoppers donating 2.2 million HUF through buying donation cards. SPAR added another 1 million HUF to this amount. The money was spent on school supplies which will be delivered to families in need in the coming days.

“We owe a big thank you to our customers who did not hesitate to support our campaign. I can proudly say that 2.2 million HUF have been raised by the customers of the 33 participating INTERSPAR stores and the SPAR online shop by the 5th of September closing date. Between 25-28 August 2021, the volunteers of the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta had been collecting school supply donations in the hypermarkets which will be distributed by the colleagues at the charity organisation in the coming days. Our company have matched the donation to the first million to show our commitment and demonstrate how serious we are about our social responsibility. We can make the start of the school year easier for 1,500 children with the help of these donations. We plan to continue this campaign every year in the future as well as extend the number of participating stores,” explained Márk Maczelka, head of communications at SPAR Hungary.

The Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta has been a long-term social strategic partner of SPAR, helping people in need for almost 30 years. One of the most successful and longest standing joint initiative is called “Adni Öröm!” (Joy to Give!). The Christmas charity campaign turns 25 this year and they organised the school supply collection campaign between 21 July and 5 September in 2021. This campaign allowed shoppers of the hypermarkets and the SPAR online shop to buy signed donation cards which they then exchanged for real school supplies. Also, the volunteers of the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta spent four days in the stores at the end of August collecting school supply donations. As a result of this campaign the organisation collected more than 32,000 notebooks, 18,000 stationary items, 450 pencil cases, 71 school bags and a further 6,000 other creative tools to be delivered to families in need. They also prepare 700 school supply packages from the money they raised with the donation cards.

“We are very glad that we can support 1,500 children to start the school year in September through our school supply collection campaign, with the help of our generous customers and the supermarket chain. The packages will help orphans taken care by the Charity Service, children with foster parents, children living in temporary family homes and children of families in need to have appropriate school supplies to start the school year. We are grateful for the hundreds of volunteers who participated in this campaign all across the country,” said Tamás Romhányi, head of communications at the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta.

The Joy to Give! collection campaign (featuring the school supply donations this year) has been very successful for many years and motivates many shoppers to help. This has enabled the Hungarian Maltese Charity Service and SPAR Hungary to make the lives of thousands of children and families in need easier, before Christmas and also before school begins. According to the organisers of the campaign it is important that the charitable atmosphere that surrounds Christmas gets extended to other areas and periods during the year and motivates people to do good together.

Images attached to the press release are available in SPAR Médiatár, at the address http://mediatar.spar.hu/.The interface also enables downloading additional public images from SPAR. When using the images, please credit the photos to “spar.hu”.

For more information please contact:

Tamás Romhányi, head of communications

Hungarian Maltese Charity Service

Mobile: +36 30 416 6040 ∙ E-mail: romhanyi.tamas@maltai.hu

Márk Maczelka, head of communications

SPAR Magyarország Kereskedelmi Kft.

Mobile: +36 20 823 7891 ∙ E-mail: maczelka.mark@spar.hu

Our newest member is Denkstatt Hungary Környezettechnológiai és Management Tanácsadó Kft., founded in 1993. represented by Ferjancsik Zsombor Gergely  with an almost   HUF 425 mio  for 2020,  with 32 employees. Denkstatt Hungary’s team of experts are searching for  answers to the questions of the future, in order to create an economically, environmentally and socially more sustainable future.

Their environmental responsibility is their main activity; professional advice in the field of environmental protection and sustainability

They provide complex advisory for establishing sustainability strategy, deployment and report preparation. Consultancy covers preparation of carbon footprint, decarbonization actions, as well as support in international ESG schemes and systems (CDP, SBTi, TCFD, LEED, BREEM…). Respect for human rights and fundamental human values is an important basis for the functioning of the organization.

The purpose of their membership is to learn and share good practices through which they can contribute to improve the sustainability achievements of the corporate sector.