Fresh Water Degradation Tests | Better for All PHBH Cup

Better for All PHBH 18 oz Cup after 1 week of immersion in tap water plus an inch of soil

The cup immersed in tap water with an inch of soil in a glass container, outside and loosely covered.

Better for All PHBH 18 oz event cup after being immersed in tap water and an inch of soil for 8 weeks.

Better for All PHBH 18 oz Cup after 8 weeks of immersion in tap water plus an inch of soil

The cup has started to collapse and thin, with evidence of a number of active microorganisms living on the surface of the cup.

Better for All PHBH Cup Close Up of the Base after 9 weeks

Better for All PHBH 18 oz Cup close up of the base after 9 weeks of immersion.

After 9 weeks of immersion in tap water with an inch of soil, the surface of the cup looks uneven and embossed letters are starting to fade away.

Better for All PHBH 18 oz Cup after 13 weeks of immersion in tap water plus an inch of soil

The cup walls are tearing noticeably and areas are increasingly transparent.

Better for All PHBH 18 oz Cup after 17 weeks of immersion in tap water plus an inch of soil

The cup has distintegrated into many pieces, and each piece has lost mass. The remaining cup pieces are very light and papery, translucent and easy to fold.

Better for All PHBH 18 oz Cup after 21 weeks of immersion in tap water plus an inch of soil

The container appears empty of cup fragments. The soil at the bottom of the container contains pieces of the lip of the cup. Also seen here, a eucalyptus leaf that has been submerged with the cup for the duration.

We make Better for All cups with a bio-based material called PHBH. PHBH is a form of PHA, a second generation plant based polymer that is non-toxic and certified to fully and safely decompose in various environments including water and low or no oxygen settings like landfill and anaerobic composters.

Our chief cup officer tests cups in different ambient conditions at different times of the year on an ongoing basis.

The progressive photo-documentation above depicts the decomposition of a Better for All PHBH 18 oz Event cup immersed in tap water in a glass container with a scoop of soil (approx 1″ of soil once it sifted to the bottom of the container).

Fresh Water Tests Spring-Summer 2022