Welcome funding from Starbucks and Hubbub to help people choose to reuse

Research carried out last year highlighted that 67% of people want to reduce the amount of single-use packaging they use when buying food and drink products[1]. 

Today, we are delighted to announce that we are set to receive funding to encourage reuse thanks to the Bring It Back Fund – a £1.4million fund launched by long term partners by UK environmental charity Hubbub and Starbucks®. 

Along with Edinburgh based tech solution company Reath Technology we are one of only two projects in Scotland to receive funding.

Taking two very different approaches each Scottish organisation has been selected to trial an innovative reuse solution, alongside four other successful applications across the UK.

We will pilot a large-scale, reusable cup deposit scheme for the first time in Scotland, trialing a reuse system in the Highlands in collaboration with North Coast 500 and Zero Waste Scotland and Highland Good Food Partnership.  Learning will be taken from the innovative Cup Movement® in Glasgow.

Catherine Gee, Deputy CEO of Keep Scotland Beautiful said, “Following on from #ScotClimateWeek we are really delighted to be able to announce this new funding from Hubbub and Starbucks.  

“Our new campaign, to be launched in 2023 will see us trial a large-scale reusable cup deposit scheme along the route of the iconic NorthCoast 500.  We hope to be able to show that people purchasing drinks on the go will #ChooseToReuse or #BringItBack if it is made easy for them to do so.”

Craig Mills, Director of Operations for North Coast 500 commented, “We are delighted that Keep Scotland Beautiful has received funding to bring this idea to life. We are excited to be working with the other partners involved to make this project a success. By working with Keep Scotland Beautiful, we can encourage people using the route to act responsibly - helping to preserve this iconic landscape. The cup return scheme will make it easy for people to make the right choice - whilst supporting local businesses and keeping waste to a minimum.”

Helen Lavery, Partner (Regional Engagement), Zero Waste Scotland said, "Zero Waste Scotland are excited to be part of this innovative re-use project. 

"Everything we buy has a carbon cost. When we throw an item away it’s not just a waste of that one product, but all the effort (and carbon emissions) that went into producing it. Around four-fifths of Scotland’s carbon footprint comes from the products and materials we make, use, and throw away – often before the end of their useable life.  

"This project will help to identify and progress circular economy solutions that work across all of Scotland, including in our most remote areas."

The female-founded tech solution company, Reath Technology, based in Edinburgh will use funding to build upon its existing reuse and RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology to create ‘next generation’ reuse tracking software, as well as a customisable footprint calculator, to help demonstrate how reuse performs well commercially and environmentally.

Claire Rampen, CEO of Reath said, “Reuse systems will need to operate at very high levels of efficiency in order to be affordable and scalable.  We set up Reath with the vision that collecting and using data to achieve those efficiencies was key, so we are pleased that Hubbub and Starbucks share that vision.”

Gavin Ellis, Director and Co-founder of Hubbub said: “With the Bring It Back fund, we set out to find innovators with pioneering new approaches to challenge single-use packaging in the food and drink sector. We were highly impressed with the quality of the entries received and we are looking forward to working with the winners to tackle this major environmental problem.

The winning projects offer a strong mix of innovative solutions, from brand new reuse system trials to behaviour change research and funding developments in technology. With this funding, we will be able to test and learn from real-world trials and hopefully demonstrate that reuse systems are safe and easy to use, and can benefit the food and drink industry, consumers and the environment.”

Alex Rayner, General Manager at Starbucks UK, comments: “We are really proud that Keep Scotland Beautiful and Reath Technology will receive funding for such important reuse initiatives, and we look forward to seeing how their trials progress. We’ve introduced an array of different reusable activations over the years to test and trial new ways to encourage reuse. Our latest work with Hubbub, the Bring It Back Fund, builds on our reusables work, aiming to find new ways to inspire people and our customers to choose to reuse. It is important for us as a company that we continue to drive industry-wide innovation, as we work to increase reusability and inspire greater reusables uptake in local communities across the UK. This forms part of our long-term goal to reduce waste and become a resource positive company.”

The full list of UK projects can be found on the Hubbub UK website.

[1]Censuswide surveyed a nationally representative sample of 3,012 UK residents from 4 – 7 April 2022