E. A. Crunden reports for WasteDive
The NextGen Cup Consortium, an effort driven by McDonald’s and Starbucks, is debuting reusable cup pilot programs at independent coffee shops around San Francisco and Palo Alto, California this week. The consortium is managed by Closed Loop Partners’ (CLP) Center for the Circular Economy, with the World Wildlife Fund serving as an advisory partner and design firm IDEO running the pilots.
The pilot programs will see reusable cups outfitted with tracking codes and chips introduced in place of traditional disposable paper and plastic cups. Returnable packing service startups Muuse designed the cup for San Francisco while CupClub designed the model for Palo Alto.
A long-term goal is to introduce the cups into major chains. Conrad MacKerron, senior vice president for the shareholder advocacy nonprofit As You Sow, told Waste Dive the programs are “a key first step” toward shifting companies like Starbucks “away from single-use packaging and towards reusables.” He added “there will need to be a lot of market testing to study, encourage, and induce customer behavior change.”
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NextGen’s Cup Challenge, launched in 2018, has focused on creating a more sustainable and economically sound alternative to traditional beverage containers. Many paper cups in particular are often a challenge to recycle, given their plastic lining.
The concepts being introduced by two different start-ups take a very different approach to what most consumers currently experience. The Muuse cups in San Francisco come with QR codes and are intended to be scanned upon pick-up and drop-off within five days, with patrons given a 25-cent discount. Failure to return the cups will result in a $15 charge. CupClub models will meanwhile have RFID tags and can be stacked at drop-off points in Palo Alto.
“In previous pilots we have achieved a 97% return rate through return incentives and product features in app,” CupClub founder and CEO Safia Qureshi told Waste Dive. “We will be keeping a close eye on these metrics during the pilot.”
Georgia Sherwin, a CLP spokesperson, told Waste Dive the Muuse cups are made from powder-coated, double-walled stainless steel, and come with a polypropylene lid and a silicone seal. The CupClub are composed of virgin polypropylene, with low-density polyethylene lids. Both programs will play out over a one-month trial period.
The pilot programs are limited to two cities, but the NextGen Cup Challenge is seeking a “moon shot” attempt to provide solutions for both hot and cold beverage containers on a larger scale. Other members include Coca-Cola, Wendy’s, Nestlé, and Yum! Brands, which owns chains such as KFC and Taco Bell.
While groups like As You Sow are supportive, MacKerron highlighted the challenges facing efforts to expand the pilot program beyond regions like the Bay Area.
“We hope there will be significant trials done in areas that aren’t typically politically progressive to understand better the challenges of making the transition there,” he said.
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