Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc., and International Paper have topped off their collaboration in innovation by launching an eco-friendly lid to complement the eco-friendly cup that the two companies introduced in 2006.

The ecotainer hot cup lid is made from polylactic acid, a renewable resource, as opposed to polystyrene, a non-renewable resource. The lid is the only compostable hot cup lid to be manufactured in the U.S. It is certified by the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) and meets the ASTM standard for compostability, which means it can be composted in municipal and industrial composting facilities.

“If you frequently drink coffee on the go, you should consider using a travel mug,” says Paul Comey, vice president of Environmental Affairs for GMCR. “If that’s not available, this new ecotainer cup and lid combination is a good alternative to other disposable cups, because it relies less on plastics and more on renewable resources. We’re pleased to offer this breakthrough lid to Green Mountain Coffee wholesale customers and consider it a good step in the right direction as we strive to improve our environmental footprint.”

According to industry data, about 5.6 billion lids for paper hot cups are used every year. For every one million lids that GMCR and others convert to the ecotainer hot cup lid, 4.1 tons less of non-renewable petrochemical materials would be used annually. In addition, composting the lid, along with other ecotainer products and food waste, will further reduce the amount of material going into landfills.

“At International Paper, we are committed to working with customers like GMCR to make it easy for consumers to make sustainable choices,” says Greg Wanta, vice president of International Paper Foodservice. “This new lid is yet another example of our strong record of innovation, and we are proud that our ecotainer products are such a key part of GMCR’s offerings.”