The paper cups found in our dining halls here at Hamilton clearly advertise their "recycled content". Along the bottom of the cup one can see a depiction of a faded tree, which I presume is meant to add to the "used" image of this product, and the heading "Post-Consumer Fiber". When a student sees that this paper cup is a recycled product, he or she can rationalize using it. This advertisement on the cup makes the consumer feel okay about using a paper cup, rather than a reusable one. In turn, he leaves with his beverage and a feeling of content from his support of an environmentally friendly company.
By advertising the recycled nature so prominently on this cup, the company is actually convincing consumers that they are helping the environment by using this product. In reality, this persuasion promotes the use of paper cups on campus, rather then the use of reusable travel mugs by the students. So in reality, the advertisement of this environmentally friendly product, actually harms the environment in the long run. In addition, on the underside of the cup, a place where most people wouldn't normally look, it states "international paper". I presume such a statement means that the recycled paper used to make this cup was collected from countries all around the world. Therefore, meaning that thousands of gallons of fuel was burned to power the various aircraft that transported it.
Such thought processes make me wonder how much this ipfoodservice.com actually cares about the environment. My hunch is that they are just one of the many companies following the current societal fad of being green. It's in style now to be environmentally conscious, didn't you know?
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