The Borrow Cup project - a returnable cup initiative between multiple national brands - launches in Glasgow today, including Costa Coffee, Caffè Nero and Burger King UK and aiming to reduce the reported 388.7 million single-use cups used in Scotland each year.
The three retailers have joined forces to participate in the project, set up by environmental charity Hubbub and reuse start-up Reposit. Several local cafes including Tinderbox, Sprigg, Kelvingrove Museum and Glasgow City Chambers are also part of the initiative.
Customers purchasing a drink at any participating store will be given the option to use a ‘Borrow Cup’ for a £1 deposit and will receive a discount or extra loyalty rewards at most participating locations. Rewards include an extra stamp for using a reusable cup at Caffè Nero and 10% off your drink at 2 of Sprigg’s local cafes.
Cups are available in three different sizes, and customers can return them at any participating venue to either use again, swap for a clean cup for their next drink, receive their deposit back at the till or a £1 voucher at a return point.
The project has been funded by the three retailers along with Ecosurety, Bunzl, British Plastics Federation and KFC. Industry partners have also supported the project with the cups provided by Berry, washing equipment provided by Electrolux and RFID scanning technology from Avery Dennison, with project support from Keep Scotland Beautiful and Biffa.
According to WRAP, over three billion disposable cups are used in the UK every year. Hubbub says its recent research found that nearly three-quarters of UK residents own a reusable cup; however, only a third say they use it at least once a month. Borrow Cup aims to test whether providing a reusable option at source and making it more convenient for customers by providing a network of return points results in fewer disposable cups being used.
The user journey is designed to be simple (without apps or sign-ups) and will use tracking and measurements to help determine how the system can become environmentally and financially viable. Hubbub is working with Carbon Bright to assess the environmental impact of Borrow Cup and plans to expand the initiative further based on the success of the first three months.
Borrow Cup will be offered at participating stores for Costa Coffee, Caffè Nero and Burger King UK retailers and Tinderbox, Sprigg, Kelvingrove Museum and Glasgow City Chambers locally.
Last summer The Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo, Starbucks, and other big brands collaborated with Closed Loop Partners to roll out reusable cups as default takeaway packaging across restaurants in Petaluma, California, and encourage consumers to reuse their beverage containers. The consortium sought to tackle packaging waste in single-use foodservice by improving the design, commercialization, and recovery of foodservice packaging alternatives.
This month, the city of Aarhus in Denmark revealed the results of the first year of its returnable packaging pilot, focusing on reusable cups as an alternative to single-use cups for consumers purchasing takeaway drinks. The pilot seeks to establish a proof-of-concept to demonstrate the feasibility and benefits of shifting from single-use to reusable takeaway packaging, and the requirements for large scale development.
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