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KeepCups are available in a range of attractive colors, here “Alder” (left) and “Saskatoon” (right) Credit: KeepCup Pty Ltd.
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A KeepCup “Brew” being filled under a brew head.
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Abigail Forsyth, KeepCup’s co-founder and managing director.
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Sturdy Circular Cups also are perfect for traveling.
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Dan Dicker, founder and c.e.o. of Ashortwalk Ltd., and creator of Circular Cup.
Reusables are slowly gaining ground against rightfully controversial single-use plastic cups and may indeed be a solution to the unsustainable waste problem.
For many years, single-use plastic and laminated paper coffee cups have been a nagging thorn in the side of practically all stakeholders: governments, environmental agencies and NGOs, coffee house chains, as well as concerned end consumers. Yet it has only been relatively recently that some concerted initiatives have taken shape to reduce the enormous mountain of waste created by these single-use items every year.
One of the most promising solutions out there is the widespread replacement of single-use cups by reusable cups. Ideally, they would be made from environmentally friendly materials and – better still – be fully recyclable. Additionally, they should be lightweight yet sturdy enough for consumers to carry along in a bag or rucksack (think “bring your own”) and have a sealable, leak-proof lid. A quick internet search reveals quite a few innovative manufacturers around the globe who have invested in exactly this type of products, whereas their approaches regarding materials, design and recyclability vary considerably.
KEEPCUP
“Keep it and use it again”
One of the earliest pioneers of reusable cups at a time when single-use plastics were still the norm was Australia-based KeepCup Pty. Ltd. Nomen est omen, its brainchild, “KeepCup” was initially introduced to coffee lovers in a trendy Melbourne café in 2009. Since then, KeepCup has gained a market footprint in more than 75 countries, according to company co-founder and managing director, Abigail Forsyth. ”KeepCup started with the simple idea ‘keep it and use it again’ that grew from [our] concerns about the sheer volume of [plastic] packaging being consumed, particularly disposable, non-recyclable cups lined with polyethylene,” she recalled. ”The goal was to kick-start behavioral change, shifting from discarding towards reusing.”
The cup base of the KeepCup “Original” is made of polypropylene (PP #5) and co-polyester (Tritan #7), while low-density polyethylene (LDPE #4) is used for the lid and sipping hole plug. “Plastic was chosen because it is heat resistant, lightweight and durable, and appropriate for quick service environments. It’s also light and stackable, which reduces the environmental cost of freight and allows us to bulk-ship free from retail packaging whenever possible,” Forsyth said.
Plastic and glass – and a bit of cork, too
But why replace single-use plastic with multiple-use plastic? Well, when KeepCup was designed, the Australian firm believed that recycling was a viable solution. That stance has somewhat changed since. “We now know that only 9% of all plastic ever made has been recycled and that plastic can only be recycled 4 to 5 times,” Forsyth explained, but also added that “plastic has a place in reuse, because, when used responsibly in high-quality products that can be reused again and again, it facilitates an overall reduction in [disposable] plastic waste.
That being said, the company has since also launched its “Brew” range, which is made from tempered lime soda glass. Forsyth recalled that while this material was “our dream from the outset,” the cash-strapped start-up just didn’t have the capital to go for that option. The phenomenal market success of the “Original” afforded the company to finally realize the “Brew” range in 2013.
Every KeepCup Brew Cork – the company’s current bestseller - comes equipped with a broad cork band that fits the cup body’s undercut, providing insulation and protection from a hot beverage. “Our bands are upcycled from the waste by-product of wine cork production in Portugal,” Forsyth explained. “The bands are naturally lightweight, heat-and water-resistant, antibacterial and biodegradable.”
Modular design makes the cut
However, the most striking feature implemented across the entire KeepCup range (which also features a “Thermal” version) is their modular design, using largely the same components in all products.
That effectively means that damaged or worn-out components can easily be replaced so users don’t have to discard the entire cup. Instead, they simply fix it by replacing parts such as bands, cup bases and lids, all of which are readily available in the KeepCup online store. This modularity considerably increases the lifespan of every single KeepCup, “reducing [the] products’ overall [environmental] impact,” according to Forsyth.
However, being either made largely of plastics or – as in the case of the “Brew” model – tempered glass, provides for “limited recycling options,” Forsyth admitted. But she banks on the products’ longevity that sets them apart from single-use cups. “KeepCups are made to last and use them in high repeat thanks to their modular design and replacement parts,” she said. “And once the [user’s] final decision is to discard, we provide detailed information on each individual material and KeepCup part in relation to recycling options on our website.”
Are consumers willing to change?
But there still is one crucial aspect, of course: Are consumers really willing to physically carry a relatively bulky KeepCup around in their rucksack, tote bag, or purse? Forsyth insisted that they are; at least those who have developed the appropriate mindset. ”For many of our customers, using KeepCup has been the beginning of a journey to reduce the consequences of [their own] convenience behavior and to... change habits to reduce their impact on the planet,” she explained. “It is an easy transition for most people,” not to mention the “feel good factor” that comes from accomplishing something as simple as quickly rinsing a cup after use and putting it back into the carrying bag.
Being adopted in retail outlets
Naturally, end consumers intent on doing their small part for environmental protection are a main target group for KeepCup. But they’re not the only one. Owing to its attractive “barista standard” design and long lifecycle, KeepCups also are aimed at retail outlets – either to replace single-use plastics or even regular ceramic mugs. ”’Barista standard’ is a shortcut we coined to describe the design considerations that have gone into creating a product that works for the [individual] coffee drinker as well as the barista behind the coffee machine,” said Abigail Forsyth, adding that KeepCups are currently already available in over 2,000 cafés around the globe.
With its concerted efforts, the company surely is on the right track. On its website, the company even claims that KeepCup users have diverted an estimated 8 billion single-use cups from landfill every year. It is an enormous figure, but Abigail Forsyth readily explained that it is “extrapolated off sales data and based on best-case assumptions how many times our products are used and how long they last.” “We want to encourage the idea that many small acts make a profound difference,” she said. Individuals even can deploy the website’s online impact calculator for determining how many single-use cups they are able to save if they continue using KeepCup. It’s a marvelous incentive to stay on track.
CIRCULAR CUP
The future of product interaction
As the quasi-Confucian saying goes, “a destination can be reached by many paths.” UK-headquartered outfit Ashortwalk Ltd. (which trades as Circular&Co.) is living proof for that. The company pursues what its founder and c.e.o., Dan Dicker, calls a “circular design philosophy.” Since its inception 18 years ago, the firm has “always looked to design products from waste materials and then fully recycle [them] at the end of their life,” Dicker told STiR. But it was only about 2 years ago that the circular design philosophy aspect got into full swing. “We passionately believe that it’s the future of products and the way we interact with them,” Dicker said.
The power of a circular economy
Since its founding, Ashortwalk has conceived and designed more than 100 other circular products before eventually turning its attention to reusable cups. The inaugural product was the much talked about ”rCup,” which was marketed as “the first reusable coffee cup made from old paper coffee cups.” “It was that product which really put us on the map,” recalled Dicker.
Then came the company name change to Circular&Co., which tagged along with a rebranding of “rCup” into “Circular Cup.” “It was a risk given that rCup had just cemented itself in the public’s mind,” Dicker admitted, “but we felt it was important to use this flagship product to promote the wider circular cause. I can’t stress enough how important and powerful the circular economy and circular design can be to the future of our environment.”
Nowadays being entirely manufactured in the UK, the raw materials used for making Circular Cups’ outer insulation layer are sourced from local waste streams. “Besides used paper cups we even blend in recycled ice cream containers,” divulged Dicker. “If you talk to any circular economy expert, they will tell you that the ‘waste-to-new-product process’ must be regionalized. The tighter this is controlled, the less chance [there is] of waste leaking into the environment and the smaller the carbon footprint becomes.”
Robust with a decade-long lifetime
However, Circular Cups are presently still lined with food-safe polypropylene (PP #5). The choice was a conscious one, though. Sticking to one polymer type makes the product easier to recycle and gives it “a far lower carbon footprint for production, recycling and rebirth,” according to Dicker. But, most importantly, it also makes the product so robust that Dicker has no hesitation insisting that a Circular Cup “lasts over 10 years.” “We offer a takeback scheme with all our products to recoup that valuable material and turn it back into new cups,” he said. Additionally, the company is currently developing a food-grade, recycled PP made from 92% recycled content, which Dicker hopes to be ready for market in a few months. “This would be pretty groundbreaking in the industry,” he pointed out.
Just like KeepCup’s Abigail Forsyth, Dan Dicker likewise was adamant that the idea of consumers carrying, rinsing, and reusing cups was not as far-fetched a thought as it may seem superficially. “It’s never been an issue, genuinely. Behavioral change is all about habits and once it becomes part of everyday life, [users] don’t see it as a chore,” he explained. “We have noticed great social engagement around the cup, because... it’s a positive behavior change and people enjoy the challenge. Yes, carrying a reusable isn’t convenient, but the pleasure of knowing you are contributing outweighs the negative.”
Dan Dicker, founder and c.e.o. of Ashortwalk Ltd., and creator of Circular Cup.
Adoption still low, but rising
While the uptake of reusables has grown considerably over the past 5 years, Dicker admitted that it is still too low, hovering at around 5% to 8% of all cups used, depending on the market territory. “From a brand perspective, we’ve always felt that global behavior change around reusables can only be tackled by the bigger brands we collaborate with. We let them worry about that and focus on delivering the best product for them,” he elaborated.
And that effectively means that more retailers have to adopt reusables as their primary or even only “to-go cup”. And Ashortwalk certainly is doing its part to make this happen. “With some of the global brands we work with, this will soon become a reality,” Dicker disclosed. “For instance, McDonald’s [in the UK] has just launched this exact scheme in mid-July, using a cup that we designed for them,” Dicker pointed out. Meanwhile, Circular Cups are already part of the Starbucks UK discount scheme and are due to be rolled out across all Starbucks stores in the EMEA region soon. While the UK currently continues to be Ashortwalk’s largest sales territory owing to a well-established local retail network, the company has seen steady growth for Circular Cup across 38 other countries as well, with distributors established in 20 of those. Not too shabby for a firm that originally started out in a small garage in Cornwall 18 years ago, eh?
Australia’s “Elephant in the Room”
Denmark’s government is currently deliberating whether to phase out single-use plastic cups in the country altogether. If a law passed soon, the Scandinavian nation could become the first country in the world to ban single-use plastic cups. But they’ve got to hurry, as similar initiatives are underway elsewhere. Take Australia, for example, whose government has announced plans to implement a ban on single-use plastics in general by the end of 2025. That would include cups, too, of course. To facilitate the move, Canberra has introduced targets for the industry which stipulate that 100% of all product packaging must be reusable, recyclable or compostable once the law comes into effect, and that 70% of all plastic packaging must be delegated to recycling or composting.
“These are fine goals, but there’s an elephant in the room” said KeepCup’s Abigail Forsyth, because the local industry would have to act “decisively and commit to reducing the overall volume of plastic produced and consumed.” Not only that, but “even in a best-case scenario, [waste] plastic can only be recycled 3 to 4 times,” she pointed out. That means that only a steep, steep reduction in plastic packaging produced can have any measurable impact. “We cannot just recycle our way out of this,” cautioned Forsyth, And the focus on recycling validates the status quo – the “take-make-safe economy.” In Forsyth’s opinion, the most important thing that needs to happen in Australia is for the government to continue to set deadlines on single-use items. “The industry will innovate around the opportunity, and indeed it has already begun,” she said.