Coffee Shops Putting Effort into Expanding the Use of Reusable Cups

A franchise coffee shop in Seoul on the 1st of last month, when restrictions on the use of disposable products in stores under the Resource Recycling Act resumed. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Hyewon] Coffee shops are putting effort into creating a social atmosphere that reduces the use of plastic cups and encourages the use of reusable cups such as tumblers. This is because their estimated annual use of 2.8 billion disposable cups is considered a major cause of environmental pollution. Most coffee franchises encourage customers to use reusable cups by offering discounts of about 100 to 500 won per cup to those who bring their own cups.

According to the industry on the 12th, Coffee Bean Korea has been running a campaign since May 2015 that offers a 300 won discount per drink to customers who bring their own reusable cups, resulting in a cumulative usage count of about 1.25 million as of this day.

Since April 2020, when purchasing drinks in reusable cups or personal tumblers at stores, customers have been able to earn one stamp per purchase on the company's application (app), with the cumulative participation exceeding 430,000 as of this day.

Starbucks also offers a 400 won discount per cup when using a personal cup, and Starbucks Rewards members who choose to accumulate Eco Stars instead of the discount amount receive 2 Eco Stars. The ‘Dadaikseon Campaign’ conducted by Starbucks from the 5th to the 30th of last month to promote the use of reusable cups saw a total of 10,616 customers participate in just 26 days. The cumulative number of personal reusable cup uses from 2007 to April this year reached 94.98 million. Converted into monetary value, this amounts to about 37.2 billion won.

The place with the biggest benefit is Paul Bassett. Paul Bassett offers a 500 won discount when purchasing manufactured drinks or set menus including manufactured drinks with a personal cup. This means you can buy an Americano, priced at 4,700 won, for 4,200 won.

Additionally, Angel-in-us, operated by Lotte GRS, offers a 400 won discount like Starbucks. In May 2018, the discount amount was increased from 300 won to 400 won. Twosome Place and Pascucci provide a 300 won discount, while Ediya Coffee offers a 200 won discount.

Professor Eunhee Lee of Inha University’s Department of Consumer Studies said, "As more coffee shops open, the increase in plastic cups is recognized by the government, consumers, and companies as harmful to the environment, and they are all thinking about how to reduce it." She added, "It is very commendable corporate behavior that coffee shops, as suppliers, lead the ‘plastic-free movement’ by first offering discounts to consumers who bring tumblers."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.