The Cup Movement: Vytal extends QR-powered reuse service to Scottish Highlands

25 Apr 2023 --- German reusable foodservice specialist Vytal is extending its reach to the Scottish Highlands and providing a new initiative – The Cup Movement – with a returnable beverage packaging scheme using QR-code technology.

The project is financed by the Bring It Back Fund, a £1.4 million (US$1.7 million) fund launched by UK environmental charity Hubbub and Starbucks last year, and is being run by local charity Keep Scotland Beautiful. 

According to the charity, around 200 million single-use cups are used and discarded in Scotland every year with only 4% being recycled. 

A recent survey also highlighted that 81% of people in the Highlands think takeaway venues need to do more to make it easier for people to buy and use reusable cups, while 90% are concerned about the environmental impact of takeaway cups being littered. 

The scheme has received recognition from the Scottish government with circular economy minister Lorna Slater commenting: “Switching to reusable cups is a simple and effective way to avoid waste. Lots of people already carry a reusable cup with them, but hundreds of millions of single-use cups are still being wasted every single year.”

“The Highland Cup Movement will help encourage more people to switch to a reusable alternative and inform the Scottish Government’s plans to introduce charges on coffee cups and other single-use drinks containers, and I look forward to seeing the results.” 

“Guilt-free coffee” 
Vytal raised US$10 million in series A financing last year.The initiative has 25 businesses registered so far. Catherine Gee, deputy CEO of Keep Scotland Beautiful, says consumers in the area can now enjoy “guilt-free coffee” by downloading the Vytal app, which tracks cups and requires them to be returned within 14 days. 

“While the convenience of single-use cups often wins over reusable options, they come at a cost to our environment, and also for those businesses using them to sell their hot and cold drinks in.” 

“Single-use cups are a classic example of the throwaway culture that we want to help change. Millions of single-use cups are wasted every year, and we want to make reuse the norm.” 

The launch of Scotland’s deposit return scheme was recently postponed until 2024, sparking controversy among environmental groups. 

Vytal reuse 
Vytal is a German scaleup company that raised over US$10 million in series A financing last year. PackagingInsights spoke with co-founder Tim Breker about how a rise in legislation demanding reusable packaging options in Europe is driving businesses to adopt Vytal technology. 

Recent revisions to the EU’s packaging and packaging waste directive (PPWD) spurred debate over mandatory reuse targets, which some companies – such as McDonald’s – say could raise rates of plastic packaging by as much as 1,500%. 

However, proponents of raising reuse rates say that reducing packaging is essential to reducing emissions rates and that studies purporting to show otherwise are likely inaccurate in the long run.

Edited by Louis Gore-Langton