NextGen Cup Challenge launches reusable cup pilots

The NextGen Consortium, led by McDonald's and Starbucks, is starting two reusable cup pilot programs in San Francisco and Palo Alto, California this week. The consortium, managed by New York-based Closed Loop Partners’ Center for the Circular Economy, will also test compostable or recyclable single-use cups in Oakland in March.

In San Francisco, startup Muuse will trial its reusable cub, which comes with a QR code and tracking device that allows consumers to rent the cups. Customers scan the code on the bottom of the cup to check it out and receive a 25-cent discount. They can return the cup within five days to any partner café. Failure to return the cup results in a $15 fee. Muuse cleans and sanitizes each cup for reuse. The startup has rolled out similar programs in Singapore, Bali and Hong Kong.

London-based startup CupClub will test its stackable white reusable cups in Palo Alto, which marks the company’s first entry into the U.S. market. The cups contain RFID tags, which can be scanned when they’re checked out at coffee shops or returned at the collection point. Palo Alto will host drop-off locations throughout the city during the pilot. The startup says using reusable cups can reduce landfill waste by up to 40 percent.

CupClub’s white cups are made of polypropylene with polyethylene (PE) lids, while Muuse's cups are stainless steel with a polypropylene (PP) lid.

Live piloting offers these cup companies the opportunity to further test, learn and innovate according to the unique material, technical and operational changes necessary to facilitate a seamless and convenient transition to reusable cups for customers and companies, according to a NextGen Consortium news release. The month-long pilot programs, along with customer feedback and data captured during them, will provide valuable insights into each cup's technical feasibility, business viability, user desirability and circular resiliency, the NextGen group says.

The pilots will help build on the NextGen Consortium's work to advance the development of new, alternative cup solutions before scaling the model at leading food and beverage companies.

"We know finding a more sustainable cup solution will continue to require partnership and innovative thinking," says Michael Kobori, chief sustainability officer at Starbucks. "The ongoing work from the NextGen Cup Consortium provides valuable insights and learnings for all the members, us included, as we continue to explore a variety of ways to better manage our waste and reduce our environmental footprint."

"We're excited to see many of the winning ideas become potential solutions that can be tested in a customer-facing environment," says Marion Gross, senior vice president and chief supply chain officer at McDonald's North America. "Finding a cup that can be scaled will require continued innovation, testing and honing of solutions, so these pilots are an important step forward on that journey."