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

Published

Filed under

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.