CupClub and Muuse, two of the 12 NextGen Cup Challenge winners, will trial their respective reusable cup systems in open environments across clusters of local cafes on a rolling basis in the coming weeks
NextGen Consortium begins piloting sustainable cup solutions in US. (Credit: meineresterampe from Pixabay)
The NextGen Consortium has initiated piloting sustainable cup solutions in local cafes in the City of San Francisco and City of Palo Alto of California, US.
The consortium, which is managed by Closed Loop Partners’ Center for the Circular Economy, aims to address single-use food packaging waste globally by improving the design, commercialisation and recovery of food packaging alternatives.
CupClub and Muuse are the two of the 12 NextGen Cup Challenge winners will trial their respective reusable cup systems in open environments across clusters of local cafes on a rolling basis in the coming weeks.
Live piloting is expected to provide an opportunity for the cup companies to further test, learn and innovate according to the unique material, technical and operational changes which are required to facilitate a seamless and convenient transition to reusable cups for customers and companies.
In addition to the size and complexity of the cups, the customer feedback and the data captured during the piloting phase is expected to provide valuable insights into the technical feasibility, business viability, user desirability and circular resiliency of every cup.
The City of Palo Alto will host cup drop off points in many civic buildings present in the downtown while the City of San Francisco has helped NextGen by providing connections with local businesses.
Footprint, PTT MCC Biochem Company to initiate piloting in Oakland cafes
Footprint and PTT MCC Biochem Company – the two NextGen Cup Challenge winners – will also initiate piloting in the cafes in Oakland in March this year to test their single-use cup solutions that serve as alternative materials for cups and cup liners.
Closed Loop Partners manages the consortium, with Starbucks and McDonald’s as founding partners, The World Wildlife Fund as an advisory partner, The Coca-Cola Company, Yum! brands, Nestlé and Wendy as supporting partners.
IDEO is serving as the innovation partner and is designing and running the pilots in the San Francisco Bay Area on behalf of the NextGen Consortium.
In February 2019, US-based fast-food restaurant chain Wendy’s has collaborated with NextGen Consortium as part of its sustainable packaging strategy.