WinCup, Inc.’s phade® Straws and Stirrers to be a Proud Sponsor of the Atlanta Falcons® at Mercedes Benz Stadium
September 30 2021 - 8:00AM
Business Wire
The most sustainable sports venue in the world
to feature new phade® marine biodegradable and compostable straws
and stirrers to advance sustainability initiatives
WinCup, Inc., an Atlanta metro-based company, is pleased to
announce its sponsorship of the Atlanta Falcons to introduce
phade®, the world’s first marine biodegradable, home and industrial
compostable drinking straws and stirrers to Mercedes-Benz Stadium
beginning in August 2021. Falcons’ fans and other stadium attendees
will be the latest beneficiaries of a growing movement of
sustainable practices being adopted across the sports industry.
Made with PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoate), a biodegradable resin derived
from the fermentation of canola oil, phade® sustainable drinking
straws and stirrers maintain the feel and user experience of
traditional plastic equivalents but will safely return to nature
through composting.
“Sports venues are starting to return to full capacity, and as
we welcome both new and returning fans, we have committed to
protecting their health, as well as the health of our shared
planet,” said Mace Aluia, Vice President of Corporate Partnership
Sales at AMB Sports + Entertainment. “As part of that initiative,
we are excited that Mercedes-Benz Stadium will offer sustainable,
innovative products such as phade® straws and stirrers, which help
address the plastics pollution crisis.”
The sponsorship reflects the growing demand for viable
alternatives to single-use petroleum-based plastics. Both paper
straws and vegetable-based polylactic acid (PLA) straws present
performance and sustainability challenges that phade® overcomes.
Paper straws get soggy and can collapse during use, and
biodegradation performance varies because of adhesives and other
unknown chemical additives that may be used in the straws.
“We take a lot of pride in being named the most sustainable
sports venue in the world, and we have achieved that through the
integration of products like phade®,” said Dawn Brown, Director of
Sustainability at Mercedes Benz Stadium. “The Atlanta Falcons and
WinCup are a natural fit because both organizations are proven
leaders in environmental innovation and action.”
Mercedes-Benz Stadium is the first professional sports stadium
to receive the LEED Platinum certification. Created by the U.S.
Green Building Council (USGBC), LEED, or Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design, is the most widely used green building rating
system. As the home to the Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta United® of MLS
and many of the world’s top sports and entertainment events, this
partnership with phade® will further the stadium’s ongoing
sustainability initiatives.
“We are thrilled to partner with the Atlanta Falcons® in their
continued quest to be the best environmental steward in the sports
industry. Our sponsorship provides us a platform to provide
meaningful, sustainable solutions to teams, venues, leagues and
their fans, starting right here in Atlanta,” said Michael Winters,
WinCup President and Chief Revenue Officer. “We look forward to
seeing the continued adoption of eco-friendly products such as
phade® expanding in the sports world, and into communities across
the US and countries throughout the world to help reduce global
plastic pollution.”
The development of phade® involved a rigorous testing and
certification process. TÜV AUSTRIA, a globally recognized
independent third-party certifying body, certified phade® as both
industrial and backyard compostable in a matter of months.
Additionally, the Biodegradable Products Institute Inc. (BPI) has
certified phade® as industrially compostable.
“What makes phade® so revolutionary is that it’s made with PHA,”
explained Brad Laporte, WinCup’s Chief Executive Officer. “Unlike
with petroleum-based straws – which take hundreds of years to
biodegrade – phade® straws generally biodegrade in a matter of
months in environments where bacteria are present and can use PHA
as a food source. With WinCup’s national footprint and extensive
manufacturing experience within the foodservice industry, we have
the infrastructure in place to scale phade® as market demand
continues to increase.”
The Falcons’ partnership with WinCup is particularly fitting
considering the role the state of Georgia plays in creating the
phade® straw. Bainbridge-based biotech company Danimer Scientific
(NYSE: DNMR), a global leader in PHA technology, creates the
canola-based PHA resin using its Nodax® biopolymer, sourced by
WinCup to manufacture the straws and stirrers. TÜV AUSTRIA
certified Nodax® as industrial and home compostable, as well as
soil, freshwater and marine biodegradable. The unique sustainable
qualities of Nodax® PHA and the phade® straw and stirrer have
attracted the attention of global restaurant brands that are
turning to the straw as a high-performing biodegradable alternative
to traditional petroleum-based straws.
WinCup has won numerous awards for the development and launch of
phade®, including the 2021 Innovation in FoodService Award for
Sustainability Solutions from the National Restaurant Association
and SmartBrief. Most recently, WinCup’s phade® brand was recognized
out of a pool of more than 4,000 global entries by Fast Company
Magazine as a finalist or honorable mention winner in the “World
Changing Ideas” Consumer Products, Enduring Impact, General
Excellence and World Changing Ideas categories.
About WinCup, Inc.
WinCup, Inc. which is headquartered in Stone Mountain, Georgia,
has recently been acquired by Atar Capital, a Los Angeles based
global private investment firm. Among Atar’s core principles is a
commitment to sustainability and investing in companies that work
toward protecting the environment. WinCup is a leading manufacturer
of traditional and sustainable disposable cups, bowls, containers,
lids, and straws. The company's eight manufacturing locations are
committed to high-quality products and superior customer service.
To learn more, please visit www.wincup.com and
www.phadeproducts.com.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210930005135/en/
Philip McGowan; philip.mcgowan@finnpartners.com;
615-610-0316
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