The illusion of sustainability
Walk into any café or office pantry, and you’ll see stacks of paper cups and bowls marketed as eco-friendly. They look sustainable, but appearances can be deceiving. Most of these items contain a hidden plastic film that keeps food and drinks from soaking through.
That coating may only be a fraction of a millimeter thick, but it changes everything. It prevents composting, complicates recycling, and turns everyday disposables into contributors to the global microplastic crisis.
What the science shows
Researchers have found that plastic-coated paper products:
- Release microplastics when exposed to liquids, heat, or friction.
- Contaminate food and drinks, sending invisible particles directly into the body.
- Persist in waste streams persist, clogging recycling plants, and ending up in landfills or incinerators. One study showed that discarded coated cups released microplastics not only into the liquid they contained, but also into surrounding soil and water.
The problem doesn’t end when the cup is thrown away.
A systemic problem
The challenge isn’t just environmental, it’s systemic. Plastic-coated “paper” blurs the line for consumers, who often assume they’re making a safe, sustainable choice. For regulators and waste managers, it complicates sorting and increases processing costs. For healthcare, it introduces another pathway for harmful particles to enter the body.
A true alternative
Real change means designing out plastic coatings altogether. At Grale, our products are built to be free from microplastic shedding and engineered to work without hidden plastic linings. This makes them safer for consumers and more compatible with recycling and composting systems.
Consumers deserve transparency. Businesses deserve materials that align with their sustainability goals. And the planet deserves products that don’t quietly add to the microplastic problem.
Because when it comes to disposables, what’s inside matters as much as what’s outside.
