At Long Last, Nissin's Cup Noodles Ditches Styrofoam For Its Ramen Packaging

Admin

Oct 30

Instant ramen packaging is notoriously unsustainable and unrecyclable. While we've seen a few innovations in the category over the years, they mostly stick to the script—styrofoam bowls and flexible wraps.

Now, the game's changed. Nissin's Cup Noodles is ditching its polystyrene packaging and introducing a paper cup starting in early 2024. The new and improved packaging system will roll out across all of Cup Noodles flavors, even pumpkin spice.

According to Nissin, the packaging is now "100% polystyrene free," which likely means that there is some nominal plastic film inside the paper cup because you know brands love shouting from the rooftops that something is 100% "plastic-free." That said, the new cup will no longer feature plastic wrap, and it will get made using 40% recycled fiber. Meanwhile, the outer sleeve utilizes 100% recycled paper.

To take things up a notch for folks who hate boiling water in a kettle, Cup Noodles will finally be microwaveable. Old habits die hard in these parts, and we don't share David Chang's love of the microwave, but this new convenient option will only set you back two minutes and 15 seconds, so there's that.

"Since its invention more than 50 years ago, Cup Noodles has become a cultural mainstay and a staple in households around the world," said Michael Price, president and CEO of Nissin Foods USA, in a press release. "And while Cup Noodles will continue to have that same satisfying taste and iconic look, we continue to find ways to evolve the brand to support the current needs of our consumers, the environment, and the world. This updated packaging and the new paper cup marks an important milestone for Cup Noodles and a key step in our environmental commitment."

Of course, the bigger question here that we probably need to start asking is if this new paper cup is recyclable or not (we've reached out to Nissin for confirmation). Taking styrofoam out of the equation is a significant step, but opting for what's essentially a Starbucks-style paper cup—which is unrecyclable—isn't necessarily a meaningful change.

Anywho, sorry, big styrofoam. That one's gotta hurt.