For the third consecutive year, Huhtamaki partnered with Slush as a Sustainability Partner, demonstrating how large-scale events can embrace circularity and reduce their environmental footprint. The startup and investor event took place in Helsinki on November 19-20, 2025.
Building on last year’s success, when every cup and lid was collected and recycled, we took our commitment even further this year by ensuring that every cup, lid, and food container served at Slush was collected and recycled into new packaging materials – a true closed-loop model.
From Attendees’ Hands to New Purpose: How It Worked
All fiber-based cups, lids, and containers used during Slush were designed for recyclability and sourced from renewable materials. After use, these items were collected at dedicated points across the venue and transported for recycling to Stora Enso’s Varkaus Recycling Mill in Finland. Thanks to close collaboration with L&T Tapahtumapalvelut /Powerload, Slush’s recycling logistics partner, and Stora Enso, the process was seamless:
- Over 30,000 fiber-based foodservice packaging items and 110,000 Slush-branded fiber cups were processed for recycling.
- Materials were pulped at Varkaus and repurposed into new fiber-based products.
Driving Circularity Through Collaboration
Our partnership with Slush is more than a sustainability initiative; it’s a blueprint for the future of event management. By working together across the value chain, we show that closing the loop is not only possible but practical.
Building on Past Success
In 2023 and 2024, Huhtamaki supported Slush’s recycling efforts by providing fiber-based cups and lids as part of a circular approach. This year, we expanded the scope to include all foodservice packaging items and strengthened collaboration with logistics partners. Our journey reflects a consistent ambition: to inspire systemic change in packaging circularity.
“By partnering with Slush, we demonstrate that sustainable packaging solutions and closed-loop circularity can be implemented at scale – even at events hosting thousands of participants. This is how we turn ambition into reality,” says Fredrik Davidsson, President, Foodservice Packaging at Huhtamaki.
Events like Slush are powerful platforms for innovation. By embedding circular packaging practices into their operations, they set a global example for how large-scale events can drive circularity.
For further information, please contact: Louisa Gühr, Public Affairs Manager and Michael Hoffmann VP Sustainability & Communications at Huhtamaki.