BETTER FOR BALL: USC hosted its second annual Zero Waste Game against Utah State at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Sept. 7. The effort was a partnership between USC, Better for All and Kaneka Green Planet PHBH. Courtesy vendor)

Better for All’s cups: a reuseable, renewable, compostable alternative

Sustainability brand Better for All has raised the cup and partnered with Oak View Group’s GOAL Network to introduce a compostable, reusable, renewable beverage container to help drive sustainability at major U.S. venues.

The partnership gives Better for All, a producer of compostable cups, a platform for reaching venue leaders as an official provider. The affiliation strengthens Better for All’s commitment to driving circular initiatives within the sports, entertainment and live events sectors by offering its products to the member network as a sustainable alternative to single-use plastics.

“It makes us more available and also introduces us to people who would otherwise not know that we existed,” said Raegan Kelly, co-founder and head of product at Better for All.

Better For All co-founder and head of product, Raegan Kelly.

GOAL is a sustainability network dedicated to providing live event venues including stadiums, arenas, theaters and convention centers, with the tools to track, measure and improve their sustainability practices. GOAL provides members with environmental data analysis, sustainability strategy and partnership advice to help improve their sustainability initiatives.

The GOAL network includes Prudential Center, Dodger Stadium, Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, Climate Pledge Arena, Citi Field, Moody Center and the MGM Music Hall.

In October, Better for All showcased 8-ounce, 16-ounce and 20-ounce cups at the GOAL Summit in Phoenix, Arizona. The company will also be present at the OVG Hospitality event where general managers are meeting Dec. 2-5 in Orlando, Florida.

“We have an opportunity to put our product in front of people who are interested in moving their venue or event to more sustainable materials can use that index or database to shop,” Kelly said.

Better for All’s cups are a 100% reuseable, renewable and compostable alternative to disposable plastic cups. Verified plastic-free by Oceanic Global’s Blue Standard, Better for All cups are designed to leave no trace behind.

“Primarily what sets us apart is that our cups are made from a material that is wholly compostable,” explained Kelly. “It’s a fermented material that is 100 percent biobased, non-toxic, certified commercially compostable, so in that regard it’s very similar to, say, a PLA. However, our cups are certified home compostable.”

PLA (Polulactic Acid) is a resin made from corn starch or other plant-based starches and is compostable in a specific way through industrial compositing. Better for All products are plant-based, making them biodegradable in soil and water.

“This is why I believe we get a lot of interest from entities or events that are water adjacent,” said Kelly. “We were the official cup at Tortuga (Festival), which is a Live Nation event in Fort Lauderdale in 2024, and they are going to use our cups again in 2025.”

According to GOAL’S 2024 Impact Report, members currently divert an average of 32% of their waste through reusing, recycling and composting. Better for All products support this mission by helping venues transition to zero-waste operations either through reuse or diversion to composting. A key factor in a successful program is collaboration between suppliers, producers, concessionaires and housekeeping.

“The process of working with venues when you are working in sustainability you have to work with all of the stakeholders in the supply chain, including waste management,” said Kelly.

The cups are heat-tolerant to 220 degrees and can be cleaned multiple times in industrial washers. The company also sells direct to consumers via its website. For Kelly, the cups present a new product approach.

“You have to think about the product all the way from the inputs going into the making the materials, the way that it’s made, and then how it is used, all the way through how it is disposed of, collected and then composted or recycled,” she said.