麥當勞和星巴克兩個餐飲巨頭近年來一直在很積極地涉足環保事業。
這其中有一個很重要的版塊就是一次性杯子了，這些餐廳每天都要用掉天文數字的杯子，而這些杯子的回收是一個很麻煩的問題。
目前他們正在通過一場大規模的創新比賽來鼓勵新型的環保杯子的誕生。
McDonald’s and Starbucks. Yum brands. Nestlé. Coca-Cola. Wendy’s.
麥當勞和星巴克、百勝餐飲集團、雀巢、可口可樂、溫迪。
They’re some of the most powerful food and beverage companies in the world, and they’re all throwing their weight behind a collective effort to tackle a big problem:
他們是世界上最強大的食品和飲料公司，都在共同努力解決一個大問題：
the 250 billion fiber cups that pile up in landfills each year, most of which will need 1,000 years to biodegrade since they’re actually coated in a micro layer of polyethylene.
每年有2500億個纖維紙杯被送到垃圾填埋場，其中大部分需要1000年才能生物降解，因為它們實際上覆蓋了一層聚乙烯微型膜。
The goal? To create the ultimate disposable paper cup–one that can both be composted and recycled, anywhere in the world.
他們的目標?創造出一種終極的方便紙杯——既可以回收也可以做成堆肥，而且可以在世界上的任何地方這麼幹。
We covered the project, called the Next Gen Cup Challenge, when it was announced last July.
去年7月，當這個名為「下一代杯挑戰賽」的項目宣告啟動的時候，我們報導過它。
All of the shortlisted technologies take one of three basic approaches.
所有入圍的技術都採用三種基本方法中的一種。
A few propose replacements to the aforementioned polyethylene liner in paper cups. While polyethylene keeps paper waterproof, insulates a drink to keep it hot or cold, and can prevent sweaty condensation from building outside the cup, it’s also the primary component that keeps most paper cups from being recycled or composted.
第一批人建議更換掉上述紙杯裡的聚乙烯內襯。聚乙烯可以防水、隔熱、保溫，還可以防止水珠凝結在杯子外面，但它也是防止大多數紙杯被回收或製成肥料的主要成分。
A second group of finalists proposes radical new paper composites that need no liner at all, allowing them to biodegrade or be recycled easily.
第二類的決賽者提出了根本不需要襯墊的新型紙複合材料，這讓它們能被生物降解或者輕鬆回收。
And a third category proposes another direction entirely: reusable cups that can be collected after being used, through either a subscription or scout’s honor system at your local Starbucks.
第三類則完全提出了另一個方向：可重複使用的杯子，在使用後可以通過訂閱會員的體系或當地星巴克的童子軍榮譽系統來收集。
Over the next few months the finalists will find out if their cups can be made by the traditional cup supply chain, by working directly with factories that partner with companies like McDonald’s to produce their current cups.
在接下來的幾個月裡，決賽者們將會直接與那些為麥當勞等公司生產杯子的工廠合作，來看他們設計的杯子是否可以通過傳統的杯子供應鏈來製作，。
This is crucial; their designs need to be able to scale within the current manufacturing infrastructure rather than requiring completely bespoke production methods.
這是至關重要的;他們的設計需要能夠用當前的製造業基礎設施生產，而不是要求完全定製生產方法。