Starbucks pilots returnable cup program in EMEA tailored to coffee-drinker types
24 Feb 2022 --- Starbucks is commencing the first Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) pilots of its new returnable cup program. The program plans to offer customers a reusable cup option in the more than 4,000 Starbucks stores across EMEA by 2025.
“To test and implement reusable solutions at scale, we will use customer feedback and further insights into local operations to ensure we are offering the most effective reusables solution for all, as we work to drive reusables uptake in all our stores and become a resource-positive company,” a Starbucks spokesperson tells PackagingInsights.
The coffeehouse chain rolled out its first returnable cup pilot on February 21 in selected UK stores and plans to launch similar trials in other European cities.
“The challenge was to ensure we could create a cup that was both transparent and opaque and also worked for both hot and cold beverages,” adds the spokesperson.
Two types of coffee drinkers
In 2019, Starbucks’ previous UK trial at Gatwick Airport with partner Hubbub found customers are either “sippers” or on-the-go coffee drinkers.
Customers can ask for their beverage in a reusable cup when ordering at the till. “‘Sippers’ want to sit and enjoy their beverage and are happy to return their cup while remaining in store throughout,” the spokesperson explains.
“However, on-the-go drinkers are much harder to engage because they require greater convenience and are much less likely to return their cup if it requires going out of their way.”
“We’ve used these learnings to inform our new returnable cup program, which allows customers to opt for a reusable cup in the same way they would a single-use cup.”
Encouraging everyday reusability
Starbucks says consumers can put down a £1 (US$ 1.34) deposit when ordering, which will be refunded when the cup is returned. The cups will then be professionally cleaned and sanitized before further reuse. Furthermore, all customers opting for a returnable cup will also receive Starbucks’ usual 25p (US$ 0.34) reusable discount.
“Starbucks returnable cups are designed to be reused 30 times, with the reusable cups made from fully recyclable lightweight polypropylene plastic,” the spokesperson says.
The new returnable cup program aims to “break down existing barriers” preventing greater reusable uptake by building reusables into people’s daily lives. According to a UK study, over a third (36%) of people do not use a reusable cup every time they buy a hot drink because they forget their cup.
Over the next two months, Starbucks will test and trial its new program with busy Londoners in Canary Wharf, and with the European city of Geneva, drawing on learnings from its previous pilot at Gatwick Airport. 
Starbucks’ goal is to have a reusable solution in all 4,000+ Starbucks stores in EMEA by 2025.
“Our returnable cup program allows customers to opt for a reusable in the same way they would a single-use cup, breaking down barriers preventing greater reusable uptake and putting convenience front and center to enable customers to easily transition away from single-use and make reusability the only option, long-term,” reiterates Duncan Moir, president of Starbucks EMEA.
A global project
The EMEA program also builds on progress from Starbucks global reusable cup pilot programs in Seattle, Seoul, Singapore, and Tokyo. It has also been designed to “work seamlessly for Starbucks’ employees and avoid creating additional work.
Last year, McDonald’s piloted a reusable coffee cup scheme in partnership with TerraCycle’s reusable packaging service, Loop, to reduce single-use waste to landfills. In a global first for the fast-food giant, six McDonald’s locations in England, UK, introduced returnable cups that are cleaned and reused.
By Natalie Schwertheim
