Success story of IoT cup, 'Cup Club,' to replace disposable cups
Along with Starbucks' initiative, disposable plastic straws and cups are disappearing. Even people who drink coffee in a personal tumbler in a cafe often stand out. This is the result of government and corporate efforts to reduce the use of disposable plastic cups and straws.
However, usage of disposable plastic cups and straws is still not decreasing nationwide. Disposable paper cups are especially well used, and plastic straws are also used well.
Environmental experts say that reducing the use of disposable cups requires an alternative to the disposable cup itself. That's why this startup in the UK is attracting attention recently. The attention goes to the startup Cup Club, founded by British architect and designer Safia Qureshi.
The reason why coffee shops enjoy using disposable cups is because the washing dishes and cups are annoying. That's why Cup Club launched a service to deliver reusable plastic cups to each cafe.
Wash the reusable cups and ship them back to the cafe!
The Cup Club's cup, which consists of a recyclable polypropylene container and a low-density polyethylene lid, is actually used up to 132 times and has since been recycled 100%. Built-in RFID chip on the bottom allows real-time identification of the cup's location.
Typically, customers return cups used at their designated collection point. Some customers take them out of the store like takeout coffee and run them out and return them to other cafes that are members of the Cup Club.
So what are the benefits for cafes and customers using drop-off cups?
First of all, cafes have been able to reduce waste. In addition, the need to buy paper cups and lids every time has disappeared. The customer can then earn “Drop-off Points” by simply returning the cup, which can later be used as cash.
The Cup Club collects the cups stored in the cafe, cleans them and delivers them back to their own facilities, and member cafes pay a monthly fee for this sustainable reuse.
Cup Club started service in downtown London in 2018. Many cafes use cup clubs for cafes that require more than 500 takeout cups per day. We look forward to launching a reusable cup delivery service such as Cup Club in Korea.