Starbucks scales up Borrow a Cup refill program in Seattle for single-use savings

12 Apr 2021 --- Starbucks is running a two-month reusable beverage cup trial at five stores in Seattle, US, called Borrow a Cup. Customers can pay a US$1 deposit to borrow a refillable beverage cup, with each one estimated to replace up to 30 disposable cups.

Customers can return the refillable cup at a participating store’s contactless kiosk or at-home through a Seattle-area delivery service called Ridwell.

“Promoting reusability is an important part of Starbucks goal to reduce waste by 50 percent by 2030,” says Michael Kobori, Starbucks’ chief sustainability officer.

Notably, 80 percent of Starbucks beverages are consumed on-the-go.

How does it work?
Customers can order their hot or cold beverage in a newly designed reusable cup at a participating Starbucks Café or Drive-Thru or via Mobile Order and Pay. 

When customers have finished their beverage, they are encouraged to scan their cups at select Starbucks stores and drop the cup in the designated opening in the kiosk. 

Reusable Starbucks cups can be returned via the Ridwell pick-up service.Then, they scan their Starbucks App to receive US$1 in credit and bonus points in their Starbucks Rewards account.

Partnerships close the loop
For the Borrow a Cup program, Starbucks partners with reuse systems operator Go Box that collects borrowed cups from stores daily. The cups are professionally cleaned and sanitized using commercial dishwashing equipment, then put back into circulation within 48 hours. 

“Reducing waste through reuse is an important way to support a transition to a more circular economy. Since our launch in 2010, Go Box has been working to develop systematic processes and infrastructure to scale reusable packaging for food and drink to go,” says Go Box CEO Jocelyn Gaudi Quarrell. 

Starbucks also joined forces with Ridwell to give customers a second option for returning their borrowed cup. The company offers a home pick-up service for reusable and hard-to-recycle items.

Ridwell customers can place their reusable cup from the Starbucks Borrow A Cup program in a custom, reusable cup bag and place it in their Ridwell bin for easy pick-ups from their front door. 

“Our members have told us they overwhelmingly prefer to shop with businesses that are invested in sustainable practices,” says Caroline Stanford, Ridwell marketing vice president. 

“If we can crack the code with programs like Borrow a Cup, there is such a huge opportunity to reduce the waste footprint in our communities.”

The reusable revolution
Innova Market Insights pegged “The Reusable Revolution” as one of its top packaging trends for 2021, but refillables still have a long way to go. According to the market researcher’s 2021 survey, US consumers do not view reusable packaging as the most eco-friendly end-of-life solution.

The Borrow a Cup program also applies to Starbucks’ drive-thru.Thirty-six percent of US survey participants said biodegradable packaging was the most eco-friendly, followed by compostable (23%), recycled (21%), then reusable packaging (11.5%).

Commenting on the Seattle trials, Kate Daly, managing director of the Center for the Circular Economy at Closed Loop Partners says the Borrow A Cup program is an “important step” in advancing circular packaging solutions.

Starbucks is further helping to “pave the way for a waste-free future for the foodservice industry,” says Daly.

On the road to its 2030 waste reduction goal, Starbucks Korea announced a commitment to eliminate single-use cups from all Korean stores nationwide by 2025. 

Last year, Starbucks also completed a rollout of strawless lids in the US and Canada, while signing the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy Global Commitment.

Edited by Anni Schleicher