Whitby & Co. and Klean Kanteen are calling on the UK’s coffee shops to reward customers for bringing their own reusable solutions for to-go drinks.
Whitby & Co. is the UK’s official distributor of Klean Kanteen – the leader in reusable stainless steel food and beverage transport. To raise awareness of reusables, outdoor accessory distributor Whitby & Co. performed on-the-ground research at well-known coffee retailers, revealing only one of the leading High Street chains offers discounts for using reusable cups.
The research follows on from chef and campaigner Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall (https://wastenotuk.com/) who revealed that of the UK’s 2.5billion takeaway coffee cups thrown away every year, only 1% are recycled.
Garry Woodhouse, Sales & Marketing Director at Whitby & Co., said: “Like many organisations we have been shocked that there is so much waste in the coffee industry.
“The problem is that ‘paper’ cups are not simply made of paper but include a layer of polyethylene. This means they cannot be recycled with paper or cardboard. Coffee shops are now pledging to recycle more and look at new technologies to increase recycling.
“However, there’s a really simple solution that could be rolled out instantly – bring your own coffee cups. Then you don’t have to recycle, you can reuse.”
In the BBC1 programme Hugh’s War on Waste, Starbucks pledged to offer 50p off a drink for customers who took their own cup into store. But the offer was later revealed to be a trial and a 25p discount is now in place.
Whitby & Co. has researched the policy across eight high street coffee chains – and is calling on them to increase awareness and incentives.
Garry Woodhouse added: “This information is not easily accessible and we believe many customers do not know whether they can bring their own cup or what offers and discounts are available. Not only can this influence your decision where to purchase, it can also make a big difference to both your wallet and the environment.”
In 2014, Klean launched the Bring Your Own™ project to raise awareness around reusables and inspire consumers to reconsider their choices. The project began with a series of film shorts, showing the staggering problem around single use waste and a call to action through social media to join the conversation: #BringYourOwn.
Erika Bruhn, Director of Marketing & Brand at Klean Kanteen, said: “At Klean, we don’t just make bottles. We create solutions for social change. We work hard to design durable, versatile, affordable products that replace mountains of single-use waste – and last a lifetime.”
A wide range of Klean Kanteen solutions are available in the UK market, ranging from the new Wide Insulated with a newly released, leak proof Café Cap 2.0, to Insulated Tumblers, Classics and more. For stockists visit www.whitbyandco.co.uk.