Starbucks Leads Petaluma's Innovative Reusable Cup Initiative with Major Brands Like KFC, Taco Bell, Dunkin', Bonchon and More

In Petaluma, California, over 30 restaurants, including Starbucks, KFC, Dunkin', Burger King, and Peet's Coffee, have partnered to pilot a reusable cup program. The initiative, led by the NextGen Consortium, aims to make reusable cups the standard for takeaway beverages, promoting sustainability and reducing waste.

NextGen Consortium, Led by Starbucks and McDonald's, Launches Reusable Cup Trial in Petaluma

The NextGen Consortium, a project co-founded by Starbucks and McDonald's, will lead the trial. The Center for the Circular Economy at Closed Loop Partners convenes the consortium, which is dedicated to redesigning single-use food packaging and promoting reuse. It recognizes PepsiCo and The Coca-Cola Company as the sector's main partners.

The three-month initiative will commence on August 5, providing customers with to-go drinks in specially designed purple containers. These cups can be returned to participating stores throughout the city, where they will be sanitized and prepared for reuse in stores.

Green Queen reported that Starbucks has conducted more than two dozen reusable cup experiments worldwide; however, the project's scope has been significantly expanded through collaboration with industry partners (and competitors). The objective is to establish reusable cups as the standard for takeaway beverages, similar to the proposed prohibition on single-use cups in Petaluma (which has already prohibited foam cups).

“Last year, Starbucks conducted a similar test in the same area, but we tested on our own. This year, we expanded on that through our partnership with NextGen Consortium to drive systems change,” said Helen Kao, director of reusable at Starbucks.

“What if we saturated a community, and reusables became the cultural norm? Now it’s an ecosystem of global brands, local businesses, city leaders, and community groups working together. The industry is realising that it’s easier to partner than do things alone,” she added.

Petaluma's Reusable Cup Trial Simplifies Returns with Over 60 Collection Points and Easy Drop-Off Options

For the trial, you will receive complimentary purple containers labeled "Sip, Return, Repeat" when you order a takeaway latte at one of eight participating Starbucks stores in Petaluma or a Coke at Burger King.

Once you have finished your beverage, you may return it to one of the more than 60 collection points in public spaces and businesses throughout Petaluma. There is no need to wash these or remove the straw or lid; this will be addressed in the subsequent phase. Additionally, you may arrange a pickup if you transport the cup home. The initiative is intended to simplify the process of reusing items for consumers, making it as simple as discarding a single-use cup.

According to Packaging Gateway, Muuse, a company specializing in reusable packaging solutions, collects the cups after they are returned, professionally cleans and sanitizes them, and then returns them to the stores for further use. Any containers that are determined to be unsuitable for reuse will be recycled on a local scale.

Petaluma Reusable Cup Project Unites Over 25 Brands in City-Wide Sustainability Effort

The Petaluma Reusable Cup Project encompasses more than two dozen brands, from national and local businesses to global corporations. Until November, all of them will serve beverages in these reusable cups while the initiative is in operation.

The pilot's comprehensive list of enterprises is as follows:

• A&W
• Aqus Café
• Avid Coffee
• The Bagel Mill
• Bonchon
• Costeaux
• Circle K
• Divine Mother Tea N Coffee
• Dunkin’
• Grand Central
• The Habit Burger Grill
• KFC
• Mary’s Pizza Shack
• Once Upon a Slush
• Peet’s Coffee
• Petaluma Coffee & Tea
• Petaluma Pie Company
• Quiote
• Refill Mercantile
• Starbucks
• Stellina Alimentari
• Stellina Pronto
• Taco Bell
• Target
• Tea Room Café

Petaluma Chosen for Reusable Cup Project Due to Strong Sustainability Efforts and Community Engagement

The initiative will be promoted through a marketing campaign featuring advertisements on billboards, bus stations, and other public locations in the Petaluma area. However, what was the rationale behind the selection of California as a city?

The project organizers call it "an ideal community" for exploring packaging waste solutions. The city government has already been engaging in sustainability efforts by phasing out non-recyclable single-use packaging, and residents and businesses have expressed interest in trialing new systems.

Petaluma is a substantial city with a dense geographical layout. It encompasses a walkable downtown area with a compact cluster of restaurants and stores, mixed-use suburban neighborhoods, and rural landscapes. This establishes appropriate conditions for testing the reuse system, and the project has been customized to the local policy and infrastructure through collaboration with local stakeholders.

“We have an amazing, engaged community, and we look forward to assisting the success of this programme, alongside our local restaurants and participating global brands that service our community,” said Petaluma mayor Kevin McDonnell.

Transition to Reusable Cups Aims to Combat Plastic Waste and Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Plastics are infamous for being among the most environmentally harmful materials. Their production contributes to 3.4% of all greenhouse gas emissions, more than the entire aviation sector. This is expected to double by 2060 because plastic decomposes in 20 to 500 years.

Each year, 50 billion single-use cups are purchased and discarded in the United States. Most cups are obtained from restaurants and discarded at home, work, or school. The Center for the Circular Economy's research indicates that the average lifespan of these containers is less than one hour.

Even paper cups are lined with plastic to prevent them from absorbing liquids or collapsing when hot liquid is poured in. However, research has demonstrated that this thin layer of plastic can leach chemicals into water, damaging aquatic animals and exposing humans to microplastics.

The transition to reusable cups would prevent billions of cups from being disposed of in landfills, free up land and labor resources, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. “Transitioning to returnable packaging systems is a critical part of reducing single-use packaging waste, and we need to focus on supporting the operations behind it,” said Muuse co-founder and COO BeBrittanythany Gomez.

Petaluma's Reusable Cup Trial Utilizes BPA-Free Plastics for Environmental Efficiency and Convenience

Over the next three months, the purple reusable cups you will encounter in Petaluma are made of two types of BPA-free plastics frequently employed in the culinary industry.

Hot beverages (up to 100°C/212°F) and a variety of iced or cold drinks will be served in lightweight polypropylene containers at numerous establishments. This plastic is also employed in yogurt jars, lunch boxes, and takeout containers. The initiative will employ HDPE, a material frequently used to produce milk jugs, sodas, and food storage boxes with soda fountains or iced drinks at specific locations.

Whether BPA-free or not, using plastic containers to eliminate plastic seems counterintuitive. However, the organizers clarify that even though stainless steel is an excellent material for at-home cleansing, producing these cups necessitates significant energy and material. Consequently, their environmental benefits will be realized once the cups have circulated for an extended period.

Ultimately, reusable plastic cups necessitate fewer natural resources to manufacture than single-use cups, as they can be washed and sanitized in the same manner as flatware or glassware. Additionally, the organizers contend that they are more lightweight and convenient to transport than metal, ceramic, and glass, reducing the need for vehicles to collect and re-distribute these cups.

While these reusable containers are recyclable, they do not initially contain recycled content. This is due to the restricted availability of food-grade recycled polymers.

Starbucks Shifts Focus to Convenience and Scale in Petaluma Reusable Cup Initiative

Starbucks has been testing reusable cups for years in anticipation of transitioning from disposables to reusables by 2025. In 2021, it conducted its initial pilot of reusable cup rental services through Go Box. For years, it has provided customers with a discount if they bring their cups (although this policy was temporarily suspended during the COVID-19 emergency).

However, the world's largest coffee chain has acknowledged obstacles to encouraging sufficient individuals to bring their containers and show their support. Starbucks VP of Product Experience and Innovation Amelia Landers told Fast Company, "The challenge is, especially when you have return bins only in Starbucks, that it's hard to get all those cups back and really make the intended environmental impact."

“We found that financial incentives don’t always work like we think they will,” added Kate Daly, the Center for the Circular Economy managing director. “We’ve done tests with even the most simplified return process and cash handouts for return and found that was an insufficient incentive. We know that deposit programs that require somebody to sign up for an app and put their credit card in create a real barrier to people participating in reuse.”

So, instead of focusing on incentivization, the Petaluma Reusable Cup Project is centered on ubiquity and scale-up. “Interoperability is really critical. People are on the go – they shop at one place, they’re disposing of items at other places. Reuse needs to be seen as easy and convenient and not that you have to pay attention to ‘this belongs here and not there’,” explained Daly.

The project's organizers also purposefully designed the containers to be functional rather than aesthetically pleasing. “We want to make sure that people don’t participate in a reuse system by taking home a reusable cup and never returning it,” said Daly. “Because then that’s not a reuse system. That’s a more carbon-intensive single-use system.”

Petaluma Reusable Cup Initiative Aims to Assess and Scale City-Wide Sustainable Practices

The initiative will collect baseline data over the next three months to assess the impact of climate change and customer participation in offering reusables as the default choice. The objective is to determine whether the model can be scaled successfully.

The NextGen Consortium will publish the analysis results to examine employee opinions regarding the program. Businesses and regulators can utilize the data to assist in developing novel reuse systems and formulating informed packaging regulations, respectively.

“By testing reuse across an entire city in partnership with key stakeholders from the community and industry, we can scale reuse collaboratively through thoughtful experimentation, building a future where reuse is the norm,” said Daly.

If the scheme proves fruitful, the consortium will donate the cups and return the bins after the pilot period if the community wishes to continue using them. Further, the demonstration could serve as a model for other cities in Sonoma County and beyond.

“Imagine a neighborhood where all to-go cups are reusable, and returning these cups required no extra steps. By making reusable cups as convenient and accessible as single use, we can offer an alternative for residents when they forget to bring their own cups with them,” said Leslie Lukacs, executive director of Zero Waste Sonoma. “Universal accessibility creates the foundation for a cultural shift towards reuse.”