Why Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts and KFC Are Teaming Up to Test Reusable Cups
By Heather Clancy
Originally published by Trellis
The restaurants even compromised on traditional brand colors for the three-month pilot being conducted in Petaluma, California.
Coffee chains Dunkin’ Donuts, Peet’s and Starbucks, fast food brands Burger King, Habit Burger Grill and KFC, and more than a dozen local restaurants are among 30 businesses collaborating in a citywide test in Petaluma, California, to see what consumers think of reusable beverage cups.
For three months, the companies are substituting their branded single-use hot and cold cups with bright purple reusable cups that bear the slogan “Sip. Return. Repeat” on the side. In other words, reusable is the default option. More than 60 return bins were placed across the 60,000-resident community, where consumers can drop cups when they’re done drinking their beverage.
The trial, which ends Oct. 28, will collect metrics about return rates and patterns, explore operational challenges for restaurant and cafe employees, and gauge consumer acceptance of the reusable cup concept. All the big brands involved have declared reuse as part of their packaging sustainability goals. The price of beverages served in the cups will not change.
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