‘To Go’ consumers are slow to adopt reusable cups
Image: Circular&Co.
It seems ‘to go’ consumers cannot break their disposable to go cup habits. A new YouGov survey in the UK commissioned by Circular&Co. finds that just 24% of people who buy takeaway hot drinks regularly from cafés, coffee shops – foodservice outlets in general – bring their own reusable cup. In fact, half of those who regularly buy hot beverages – coffee or tea – to go never use a reusable cup, leaving them completely reliant on single-use products.
In the UK, it is estimated that consumers use between 2.5 to 5 billion disposable paper cups per year, with few of those reported as being recycled. With 76% of people who purchase hot beverages to go relying on single-use equivalents, the research reveals that more work needs to be done in order to shift consumers away from their reliance on disposable hot beverage cups.
There is a huge opportunity for takeaway hot drinks outlets to adopt simple practices to reduce the significant single-use waste produced. In the US, for example, many cafés and coffee shops offer reusable cups for sale, a discount to customers that use one, or have a cost-effective returnable cup program. Furthermore, many outlets offer seasonal reusable cups to entice consumers to buy and use them, particularly in the fourth-quarter (e.g., Starbucks signature red reusable annual holiday cup) and Earth Day (bright green cups are ubiquitous).
In 2023, to help reduce single-use waste and alter attitudes towards disposable items, more than a dozen cafés in Stirling, Scotland offer customers the option of reusable cup for to-go drinks in return for a £1 deposit. The deposit could be reclaimed at any café participating in the Ditching Disposables Stirling scheme. (Click here for the full story.)
The flexibility of returnable and reusables allow outlets to establish a concept that best suits its operations. By purchasing a given number of returnable cups, organisations can either collect a small deposit from customers, which is then refunded on return of the cup, or implement a borrow charge if the cup is not returned within a set period. According to the survey, some programs are even simpler, by trusting customers to return the cups and ensure a circular economy of reusables within the outlet.
“This survey clearly shows the opportunity on offer to forward-thinking catering outlets as they look to reduce their reliance on single-use packaging,” said Dan Dicker, CEO and founder at Circular&Co. “There’s a clear appetite for more returnable cup schemes and reusables among those buying takeaway hot drinks regularly, which gives businesses the opportunity to make significant commercial and environmental savings, all while improving their appeal to the growing number of environmentally conscious customers.”
- Vanessa L Facenda, editor, Tea & Coffee Trade Journal.
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