Introducing the best practice trial for reusable coffee cups during COVID-19 and the launch of Circular Design Principles to drive sustainability in packaging.

Contactless Coffee in the age of COVID-19

A number of coffee retailers in the United Kingdom are reviewing a new best-practice trial on accepting reusable coffee cups in a safe manner during the current COVID-19 outbreak. Richard Ali, the Sustainability Director at 4evergreen member Huhtamaki, brought the trial to our attention.

Led by City to Sea, a UK-based environmental not-for-profit organisation which campaigns to stop plastic pollution, in conjunction with the Sustainable Restaurant Association, Business in the Community and Zero Waste Scotland, the idea is to create a guide to enable retailers to promote reusable coffee cups in the safest way possible during the coronavirus pandemic.

With conflicting information circulating about the safety of reusable coffee cups during the health crisis, and many businesses considering that single-use cups are safer, the #ContactlessCoffee campaign aims to keep reusables on the agenda.

The guidance suggests that customers place clean reusable cups with the lid off onto designated trays before stepping back two metres. Baristas then make the drink using a ceramic cup before pouring into the reusable cup without touching it.

However, the trial showed that the guidance does not recognise the significant increase in the carbon footprint caused by designing a system where two cups need to be washed for one single drink. The results show that the impact is so great that a paper cup would always have a lower carbon footprint, no matter how many times a reusable cup was used.

The partners involved continue to work towards a workable best-practice scenario where the safety of the general public, the reduction of waste and the carbon footprint created by the alternative are all taken into consideration.