Starbuck at Gatwick Airport is launching the world’s first ever cup reuse trial that will see customers “borrow” reusable cups.
#CupCupandAway is the latest campaign created through the on-going partnership between Hubbub and Starbucks that is tackling single use plastic pollution.
The campaign is funded by the 5p charge that Starbucks has voluntarily added to the cost of disposable cups across all their stores in Britain.
The month-long trial will provide an innovative approach helping customers to reduce disposable cup use throughout the international airport’s South Terminal.
Starbucks customers will be given the option to borrow a free reusable cup for their drink instead of using a paper cup, which they can then drop off at one of five ‘Cup Check-In’ points throughout the airport before they board their flight.
What is learnt will provide valuable insight into how to deploy a reusable trial in not only other airports but many other environments
The option will be promoted by the Starbucks store team and reinforced through messaging at the airport and on social media.
The ‘Cup Check-In’ points will be at the airside Starbucks store with four more spread across the terminal so that travellers won’t need to go out of their way to return the cup before they board. Once collected, these cups will be washed and returned to store to begin their journey through the airport again.
Putting 2,000 reusable Starbucks cups in circulation throughout the South Terminal has the potential to dramatically reduce the number of paper cups thrown away.
Culturally this is a major shift as most people do not take reusable cups to airports and consequently Gatwick currently disposes of 7 million paper cups annually of which 5.3 million are recycled.
The ambition behind the trial is to help create a new culture of reuse on-the-go and explore how customers respond to dropping their cups back off to be washed and used again.
The results will give a unique insight into the challenges of changing behaviour at a busy international airport. It will discover whether peoples’ concern about plastic waste can be translated into practical action if it is made easy and convenient.
What is learnt will provide valuable insight into how to deploy a reusable trial in not only other airports but many other environments, Hubbub says.
