- Costa Coffee, Caffè Nero, Burger King® UK and local cafes join forces to offer returnable cups in groundbreaking collaboration
The UK’s first-ever returnable cup initiative between multiple national brands launches in Glasgow today, making it easier for people to skip the disposable cup when they next buy a drink.
Major retailers including Costa Coffee, Caffè Nero and Burger King® UK are joining forces to participate in Borrow Cup, a project set up by environmental charity Hubbub and reuse start-up Reposit. Over 40 outlets, including several local cafes such as Tinderbox, Sprigg, Kelvingrove Museum and Glasgow City Chambers are also part of the initiative, which aims to expand further across Scotland and the UK in future depending on the success of an initial three-month period.
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*. Cups are available in three different sizes, and customers can return them at any participating location to either use again, swap for a clean cup for their next drink, get their deposit back at the till or a £1 voucher at a return point.
Recent research from Hubbub reveals that nearly three-quarters of UK residents own a reusable cup, however only a third say they use it at least once a month[1]. Borrow Cup will test whether offering returnable cups within a pioneering collaboration between major brands and local cafes, a high concentration of participating locations and a simple user journey makes it easier for people to borrow and return a reusable cup and improves the success of the initiative compared to other previous trials.
According to Zero Waste Scotland, 388 million2 disposable cups are used in Scotland each year. It’s a topic of focus for the Scottish government who recently launched a consultation into whether they should introduce a charge on all single-use cups in Scotland, similar to the plastic bag charge.
Gavin Ellis, Co-founder at Hubbub said: “We know disposable cup waste is an issue Scotland is keen to tackle so we are delighted to launch the UK’s first cross-brand returnable cup initiative here in Glasgow. By making it easy and convenient for people to choose reusable cups, we hope Borrow Cup will shift habits and help to make reusable cups the norm. The success of the project hinges on how many people use it, and crucially how many cups are returned to be used over and over. For it to be a success, we need the people of Glasgow to get behind Borrow Cup so we can show the rest of the UK what is possible.”
Stuart Chidley, Co-founder of Reposit said: “As a local business we are delighted to be enabling local people, local and national businesses to make a simple switch from single-use to returnable cups. The world is watching how Glasgow is leading the way so that they can follow”.
Nicola Pierce, Director of Commercial Planning & ESG at Burger King® UK said: “Burger King® UK is excited to partner with Hubbub to bring Borrow Cup to Glasgow. This industry collaboration allows us to explore innovative ways to offer our customers a convenient and sustainable alternative and we look forward to seeing the results.”
Gareth Hopley, Head of Communication at Caffè Nero said: “We have long been supporters of recycling schemes for disposable cups, such as the Valpak Scheme, and we’re delighted to be partnering on Borrow Cup. We already offer additional loyalty stamps to any customer who uses a reusable cup in any of our stores, and Borrow Cup will sit perfectly alongside it. I’m sure it will be hugely successful.”
The initiative is being introduced by Hubbub, who specialise in creative environmental campaigns, and Glasgow-based reusable packaging systems provider Reposit, who are leading on operational delivery of Borrow Cup including logistics, washing and reporting.
Hubbub are working with Carbon Bright to assess the environmental impact of the initiative and then aims to expand Borrow Cup further based on the success of the first three months.
The project has been funded by the participating brands (Costa Coffee, Caffè Nero and Burger King® UK) along with Ecosurety, Bunzl, British Plastics Federation and KFC, and with support from industry partners Berry, Electrolux, Avery Dennison, Biffa and Keep Scotland Beautiful.
For more information on Borrow Cup visit hubbub.org.uk/borrow-cup.