Innovating reuse
Hubbub and Starbucks are launching a £1 million fund to increase take-up and remove barriers for reusable packaging in the food and drink sector in the UK.
Hubbub conducted research into customer perceptions of reusable packaging and found inconvenience, hygiene concerns and cost are key barriers to their wider use. Systems where a customer can borrow and bring back packaging present opportunities to reduce these barriers and this fund aims to accelerate new ideas to reduce reliance on single-use packaging.
We are looking for projects that help shift people’s habits. Whether that is promoting behaviour change, undertaking new research, expanding an existing reuse model or trying something completely new, we want to hear from you. The fund will provide grants between £150,000-£300,000 and fund up to 5 different projects bases in the UK. Applications open on 11th May 2022 and close at 17:00 on 24th June 2022.
What is a reusable packaging system?
A reusable packaging system is an alternative to single-use packaging where the container for your food and drink is ‘loaned’ or ‘borrowed’. This differs from personal reusables, such as a lunch box or travel mug that you own and refill instore. Reusable packaging systems put in place additional services to make it easier for the customer to use a reusable option.
An example is borrowing a reusable coffee cup that you bring back to a collection point, or having your groceries delivered in reusable containers that are collected with your next delivery.
We're looking for innovators with pioneering approaches to challenge single-use packaging in the food and drink sector. The fund is looking to support consumer facing reuse systems in the UK in both ‘return from home’ and ‘return on the go’ models. If you feel you have a solution to support reuse systems and remove barriers for users and businesses, we want to hear about it.
We will be supporting a small number of innovative projects over one year, starting in September 2022. Projects will be selected by a grant panel, consisting of independent experts on the circular economy, sustainable packaging, behaviour change as well as senior representatives from Starbucks.
Projects will have to demonstrate measurable impact and a clear legacy. We will openly share all learnings and results from the funded projects to enable others to build on and amplify the impact (while also respecting intellectual property or patents).
About the fund
Why is Starbucks supporting the Bring It Back Fund?
Starbucks has a long-term commitment to become a resource positive company by 2030 reducing waste by 50%.
We live in a culture of convenience and any reuse system that is to challenge single-use waste must be as convenient if it is to become the default choice.
Starbucks is trialling the Returnable Cup programme in London, Paris and Geneva this year. Designed to make it as easy to use a reusable cup as it is to opt for single use, the trial will pave the way for a wider reusables rollout to all 4,000+ Starbucks stores in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) by 2025. However, there is much more to do to accelerate a broader transition away from single use in the food and drink industry. This is where the Bring it Back Fund comes in.
Find out more here about Starbucks’ long-term goal to offer a returnable cup programme in all EMEA Stores by 2025.
