I)

HANOI UNIVERSITY
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

FINAL WRITING TERM IV

DOES USING PAPER CUPS REALLY

Teacher: MA. Ngo Xuan Thuy

Hanoi, May 2025

I. INTRODUCTION

Thesis: Paper cups are not an effective environmental solution.

II. BODY

1. Counter-argument and refutation:

1. Counter-argument: Due to growing concerns about the environmental

pollution caused by plastic products, the idea of paper cups has been

introduced as a more sustainable and eco-friendly alternative.

2. Refutation: The environmental friendliness of paper cups is a product

of greenwashing campaigns, while entirely overlooking the actual issues

of deforestation, resources consumption, and impractical waste

management options.

2. Argument

1. Main idea 1: Limitation of paper cups when considering the

production process.

1. In terms of materials, paper cups raise concerns about

deforestation and the potential release of harmful chemicals into

the environment.

2. In terms of manufacturing, the production of paper cups is

harmful, involving significant energy and resource consumption.

b. Main idea 2: Limitation of paper cups when considering

biogradability.
 1. The plastic lining prevents paper cups from fully biodegrading

and releases harmful microplastics into the environment.

c. Main idea 3: Limitation of paper cups when considering

recyclability.

1. Paper cups require a complex recycling process with low

efficiency.

2. Instead of being recycled, paper cups often end up in landfills,

failing to reduce the overall amount of waste.

d. Main idea 4: Protecting the environment depends not only on the

material itself but also on how humans use it.

1. The solution is not to replace plastic cups with paper ones or vice

versa, but to minimize the usage of single-use products in general.

III. CONCLUSION

Although the idea of using paper cups to protect the environment is good in

theory, truly addressing environmental issues requires raising public awareness

and reducing the consumption of single-use products.

Does Using Paper Cups Really Help Protect the Environment?

In recent decades, along with growing concerns about plastic waste and

environmental pollution, numerous campaigns have been launched to encourage the

use of paper cups and paper containers as alternatives to plastic products, aiming to

reduce plastic waste and protect the environment (Agarwal & Kumar, 2020). Having

been promoted as an environmental solution, paper cups, however, have faced

considerable controversy regarding their effectiveness. This essay argues that paper

cups are not an effective environmental solution, based on the production process,

biodegradability, and recyclability of both paper and plastic cups.

Advocates argue that the shift toward paper cups represents an effective

solution to environmental issues. According to a study by Levchenko (2023), due to

the risk of leaking toxic substances, plastic cups can adversely contaminate soil and

water, leading to environmental degradation. In addition, with about 9 billion tons of

plastic waste generated each year, paper packaging, promoted as faster to biodegrade

and easier to recycle, is viewed as a more sustainable and eco-friendly alternative

(Almroth et al., 2023). However, as pointed out by Viera (2020), the purported

environmental friendliness of paper cups is, in fact, a product of greenwashing

campaigns aimed at promoting paper-based products, while entirely overlooking the

actual issues of deforestation, resources consumption, and impractical waste

management options.

First, in terms of materials and manufacturing processes, paper cups do not

demonstrate any clear environmental advantage over plastic cups. Supporting this

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view, van der Harst and Potting (2014) evaluated the production process of both

materials and concluded that paper does not exhibit a significant superiority over

plastic. This is due to the primary material of paper cups, wood pulp, raising concerns

about deforestation and associated environmental issues such as soil erosion and

climate change. In addition, the polylactide (PLA) or polyethylene (PE) waterproof

coatings used in paper cups can still release toxic chemicals into the environment at

comparable levels to traditional plastic cups (Lee et al, 2017), thus undermining their

assumed environmental advantage.

Moreover, when examining the levels of energy and resource consumption

involved in the production process, paper cups also fail to demonstrate a clear

advantage in terms of environmental friendliness. To clarify, according to Suraj and

Khan (2015), the paper production process involves harmful chemicals like chlorine

and its compounds, releasing toxic substances that contribute to water and soil

pollution. The study also highlights that paper production consumes twice as much

electricity and water as plastic manufacturing. This reveals that paper cups not only

fall short of environmental protection but also pose serious concerns regarding

chemical waste and natural resources’ exploitation.

The biodegradability of paper cups is another controversial issue. Despite

claims of using organic materials, the presence of a plastic lining in paper cups hinders

their complete biodegradation in natural environmental conditions. Arumugam’s

research (2017) indicated that PLA, the most biodegradable material used, can only

decompose under industrial treatment and shows almost no degradation under natural

conditions. Additionally, the by-products of biodegradable plastics may pose equal or

even greater threats to biodiversity and ecosystem functions than those of conventional

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plastics. This is because microplastics from PLA can be ingested by various

organisms, which not only threatens their survival but also creates a risk of trophic

transfer, the transmission of microplastics to higher-level species in the food chain,

including humans (Yang et al., 2023).

When considering recyclability, studies have also identified significant

limitations of paper cups. Paper cups consist of two materials, paper and a plastic

lining, making their recycling process complicated and difficult. While the paper layer

can easily dissolve, the plastic coating does not break down during this process (Lee et

al., 2017). Specifically, polyamide (PA) has the best recyclability; however, there still

remains a presence of residual polyacrylate flakes that cannot be removed, which reduces

the quality of the recycled products (Lee et al., 2017). Due to this complex recycling

process and its low efficiency, instead of being properly recycled, paper cups often

end up in landfills (Foteinis, 2020). This indicates that despite claims of being

environmentally friendly, with limited recyclability, paper cups do not demonstrate a

significant advantage in efforts to reduce environmental waste.

It becomes clear that the real solution is not simply replacing plastic cups with

paper cups or vice versa, but reducing the usage of single-use products in general. A

study published in Scientific Reports (Oludoye, 2024) emphasized that merely

switching materials without changing consumption habits fails to effectively address

environmental problems. It also pointed out that pro-environmental behavior is shaped

by both rational choices and moral values. Therefore, the most effective approach is to

promote behavioral change through education and awareness campaigns, helping

people better understand the environmental impacts of single-use products and

fostering more sustainable practices.

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 In conclusion, although the idea of using paper cups to protect the environment

appears theoretically reasonable, it faces significant practical limitations. These

limitations are mainly attributed to their materials and harmful production processes,

which undermines the claimed eco-friendliness of paper cups. Therefore, instead of

simply changing materials, efforts should be made to raise consumers’ awareness and

reduce the consumption of single-use products in general.

(Word count: 842 words)

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