First Happy Cup produced from our Caleyda®
Happy Cups has been leading the way in sustainable drinkware for years. Six years ago, the company made the conscious decision to embrace PHA as an alternative to conventional plastics. Until now, however, it relied on commercially available PHA sourced from outside Europe for its reusable festival cups.
We’re proud that this is now beginning to change. Together with Happy Cups and H&P Moulding in Emmen, we’ve successfully produced the very first Happy Cup using our locally produced Caleyda®. It’s an exciting milestone that brings Happy Cups one step closer to its ambition of switching entirely to locally produced PHA as it becomes available at scale.
For us, this is exactly what Caleyda® was developed for: helping brands replace fossil-based plastics with a high-performance, biodegradable material produced from local organic residual resources.
“PHA is an honest material and an excellent alternative to fossil-based plastics,” says Lenze Leunge of Happy Cups. “If it is available and performs well in processing, then it simply makes sense to use it.”
For us, this also marks an important milestone. The successful processing of Caleyda® into a finished product demonstrates that the material is ready for commercial application.
“For us, this is an important validation that our material meets the technical specifications required for reliable processing,” says Joost Paques of Paques Biomaterials. “Our next step is to begin the preliminary work towards food-contact approval. We are currently preparing for this process and aim to initiate the approval procedures as soon as possible.”
A promising first result from the PHA Centre of Expertise collaboration
PHA Centre of Expertise at Greenwise Campus, September 2025
The production of the first Happy Cup from Caleyda is the result of a unique collaboration within the PHA Centre of Expertise. On the first Thursday of every month, the entire PHA value chain comes together. From producers, compounders and injection moulders to product designers, brand owners, entrepreneurs and researchers, these meetings create a space to exchange knowledge, share ideas and accelerate innovation. By working together across the value chain, promising concepts are transformed into real products.
The production of the first Happy Cup by H&P Moulding is a tangible example of what this collaboration can achieve. It is something we, as the Centre of Expertise, can be proud of, but it is also just the beginning. Several new product developments are already underway, all centred around the application of locally produced PHA.
PHA Centre of Expertise meeting at Happy Cups, August 2026
Do you also want to join the PHA Centre of Expertise? Please contact us; we are happy to welcome you.
PHA Centre of Expertise meeting at Paques Biomaterials, April 2026