Italian packaging company Qwarzo is expanding its presence in Europe with the global brands, adopting its “breakthrough” mineral-based technology.
Its technology has been adopted by brands such as Starbucks and Lavazza
The patented coating offers a high-performance barrier against water, grease, oxygen, and heat, ensuring the integrity of containers and preserving the taste of the contents, stated Qwarzo.
The company’s silica-based mineral coating, which replaces plastic in single-use products, is featured in Starbucks’ takeaway solutions hot cup and lid, launched in May 2025 and now currently rolled out across Europe.
This takeaway solution was developed alongside Transcend Packaging, Metsä Board, and Qwarzo.
It eliminates the need for internal plastic liners and single-use plastic lids.
The cup is crafted from fully traceable cellulose fibres from Northern Europe, and the lid is made from Qwarzo-coated pulp fibre, which is capable of withstanding hot liquids without losing shape.
The product is home compostable, recyclable with paper, and fits existing waste management systems.
The new design allows for the cup to be recycled without the need for plastic separation, addressing a major obstacle in the disposal of traditional cups.
Starbucks announced that this new cup is currently available in Austria, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland, and is expected to be launched in the UK and Ireland by late 2025.
Qwarzo founder & CTO Luca Panzeri said: “The Starbucks partnership shows that scalable, responsible solutions are not just possible—they’re happening now. More than a billion items have been sold with Qwarzo coating between ice cream spoons, coffee stirrers, coffee cups, plates and cutlery.”
In the vending segment, Lavazza Spain has introduced Qwarzo-coated cups for its coffee vending machines in collaboration with Flo Group.
Flo Group is also distributing these cups in the German market, in partnership with a German coffee brand.
The adoption of Qwarzo extends to other sectors, with Unilever’s premium gelato brand Grom utilising Qwarzo-coated paper spoons, and Venchi, the Italian chocolate and ice cream company, purchasing Qwarzo-coated cutlery.
Qwarzo-coating products have been certified home compostable by DIN CERTCO. It is recyclable as paper and is exempt from the EU Single-Use Plastics Directive.
The coating does not contain intentionally added PFAS or microplastics.
Furthermore, its performance is claimed not to compromise taste, safety, and recyclability.
