We're getting it together

We're getting it together

By Alex Robinson, 29th January 2025

It’s funny how much our culture loves the myth of the lone genius - the solitary figure (usually male) who wrestles with a challenge for years before triumphantly unveiling the solution. It’s romantic, heroic and… it usually misses the mark.

We’d do better to celebrate our collective achievements; how we come together to solve things that no one could overcome on their own.

It’s an approach that’s baked into our work at Hubbub. And the more we worked on reusable packaging – particularly returnable coffee cups - the more we became convinced that this was a challenge crying out for collaborative solutions.

Of course, each brand can implement its own reuse solution, and many have. But are they good for customers? No one wants to juggle multiple apps, cups and deposits.

Our trials, research and experience running the UK’s biggest reusable packaging grant scheme has taught us that if reuse is to be convenient, collaboration is key.

So this week we’re launching Borrow Cup in Glasgow, the UK’s first-ever cross-brand returnable cup initiative. We’re aiming to cut into the 388 million disposable cups used in Scotland each year, and to create a scalable solution to a big, shared problem.

As the Scottish government considers implementing a charge on disposable cups, Borrow Cup is perfectly timed.

The project brings together major brands Costa Coffee, Caffè Nero and Burger King along with local cafés, and our returnable packaging partner, Reposit.

Together we’ll test whether providing a convenient reuse option and a dense network of return points can make a dent in the number of disposable cups used in the city. And we aim to bring on more brands and cafés as we go, to create a truly citywide partnership.

But, what's new?

There have been lots of pilot cup schemes before, including some of our own – and they've proven difficult to scale.

We've learnt from them, and hope Borrow Cup will be different. There are two key reasons why:

• Scale: Borrow Cup is big. 47 stores (and counting) big. It’s the first time in the UK that multiple major brands and local cafés have come together like this to create an expansive, accessible network for returnable cups.
• User experience: Borrow Cup has a simple and convenient user journey with minimal friction. No apps or sign-ups, just grab your drink in a Borrow Cup for a £1 deposit and return it to any location to get your £1 back. Or keep refilling and swapping it again and again.

These two things should ensure that rather than a hassle to take part, it’s almost as easy as a disposable.

And we’ll soon find out what people think: we’re tracking the cups electronically, using cash register reports to measure uptake and return rates, and conducting independent lifecycle analysis to compare our impact to disposable cups. This will help us refine our approach and prove the environmental and financial viability of our system. By bringing together competitors in a first of its kind collaboration, we hope to show what’s possible when we work together.

But it’s the coffee brands and local cafés who are taking the biggest leap: joining forces to put the shared goal of reducing waste first. Their experience, and their customers, will determine whether Borrow Cup succeeds and can be scaled.

Will it work? Watch this space to find out.

Speaking of cups...

We’re challenging businesses to switch up what they put in them and inspire their employees to give plant milks a go this February: it’s a quick easy switch you can make at work that’s good for the planet (and your tastebuds).

Sign up to the February challenge and you can start the year knowing that you’re doing something simple but positive at work in 2025.

We'll share posters and digital assets for you to put up around the office. Take part and you could be in with a chance of winning a Sage Bambino® stainless steel coffee machine and free plant milk or discount vouchers for your workplace.