California Makers, Retailers Launch Reusable Initiative

Starting in August, in Petaluma, California, Starbucks, The Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo, Peet’s Coffee, and Yum! Brands will lead a citywide collaborative reuse project to make reusable cups the default option for to-go drinks. Starbucks licensee partners Target and Safeway are also taking part, said the cafe chain.

The Petaluma Reusable Cup project brings together public and private entities, including industry competitors, to help shape consumer habits and cultural norms. Spearheaded by the NextGen Consortium, the project will be led by the Center for the Circular Economy at Closed Loop Partners, said Starbucks.

For three months, eight Starbucks stores will participate in the reusable cup test, in which 30 restaurants and cafes in Petaluma will offer customers a reusable cup for all hot and cold beverages. Customers can return their cups at one of more than 60 drop-off return bins throughout the city. The cups will then be cleaned, sanitized, and recirculated.

Petaluma was chosen as a test market because of its dense downtown layout, high walkability, and overall climate supporting reuse and policies phasing out single-use packaging, said Starbucks.

The focus is on ubiquity and convenience, said Helen Kao, director of reusables at Starbucks.

“Last year, Starbucks conducted a similar test in the same area, but we tested on our own,” Kao said in a statement. “This year, we expanded on that through our partnership with NextGen Consortium to drive systems change. What if we saturated a community, and reusables became the cultural norm? Now it’s an ecosystem of global brands, local businesses, city leaders, and community groups working together. The industry is realizing that it’s easier to partner than do things alone.”

The test will provide insights on how this model could work on a larger scale to reduce the number of single-use cups, said Starbucks.