Plastic-free Remembrance Day poppies partly made from discarded coffee cups

The poppy will be plastic free and made of recyclable paper for the first time since it was introduced 102 years ago

Joseph Draper26 October 2023

A new “environmentally friendly” poppy partly made from used coffee cups will be released for this year’s Remembrance Day.

The historic symbol will be plastic free and made of recyclable paper for the first time since it was introduced 102 years ago.

The redesign took three years to develop with the help of experts at University College London, the Royal British Legion said.

Around 50% of the material will come from discarded coffee cups, with the rest made of renewable fibres, the armed forces charity said.

Alongside the pin-on version, adhesive poppies will also be sold.

Andy Taylor-Whyte, Poppy Appeal director at the Royal British Legion, described the new design as an “enduring symbol of remembrance as well as being more planet-friendly”.

“We’re so proud to unveil our plastic-free poppy, which is completely recyclable, and hope that this will encourage more people than ever to take part in this year’s Poppy Appeal and show support to our armed forces community,” he said.

“After years of work and collaboration with our partners designing a new poppy, creating new paper and machinery and road-testing it for durability and colour-fastness, we have been able to eliminate single-use plastic and create a poppy that is an enduring symbol of respect and remembrance as well as being more planet-friendly.

“We’d like to encourage everyone to get a poppy this year when they become available.

“The money raised will allow us to provide expert advice and guidance to support the armed forces community across a wide range of issues, including mobility, homelessness, life challenges such as family breakdowns, and mental health.”

In a study of its production, scientists at UCL said the new poppy would reduce its carbon footprint significantly.

By replacing the single-use plastic with a paper-based design, and increasing the amount of recycled paper used, we found that the new poppy design has a 40% smaller carbon footprint and a similar reduction in its overall impact on the environment

Professor Paola Lettieri, University College London

Professor Paola Lettieri, from the university’s Department of Chemical Engineering, said: “By replacing the single-use plastic with a paper-based design, and increasing the amount of recycled paper used, we found that the new poppy design has a 40% smaller carbon footprint and a similar reduction in its overall impact on the environment.”