The pandemic made a relaxing routine for many coffee drinkers—that leisurely cup at a favorite café—into a busy task. Online ordering replaced barista conversations, and disposable coffee cups—lots of disposable coffee cups—took the place of porcelain mugs.
Frank Green, an Australian manufacturer of reusable cups and bottles, was founded by Ben Young, who has watched with worry how society has been compelled to once again embrace single-use items. One of his items is being promoted by him as a way to urge consumers to switch back to reusables also as one solutions to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals “Sustainable Consumption and Production”.
The company developed a cup with an implanted payment chip in Australia in 2017 that allows consumers to make purchases while on the go or even in between sips without the use of a physical credit card or mobile phone.
The answer, according to Young, was excellent. "The entire café pauses as you approach and pay for your coffee using a cup. They are curious as to how you can accomplish it.
His business intends to launch a comparable product in the US, with the goal of encouraging consumers to stop using disposables by using that mug-wallet hybrid.
It has become increasingly difficult to overlook the environmental damage as the waste from a year of single-use cups, takeaway containers, and plastic cutlery has accumulated. For instance, during Singapore's eight-week lockdown that ended in June, the packaging from takeout food and home-delivered goods added an additional 1,470 tons of plastic garbage, which, according to one survey, is the weight of 92 double-decker buses.
Also, individuals are concerned about the overall surge in disposable items. More than 40% of adults polled in a recent consumer sentiment study cited the sight of discarded PPE (such as masks and gloves) as the primary cause of their growing concern about environmental issues, and more than half said they now place a higher priority on lowering their own carbon footprint since the pandemic started. This year, reusables like Frank Green sustainable mugs are even more important because of this.
According to Kathryn Ficarra, president of Frank Green North America, "the pandemic may have pushed us to a tipping point where enough people want to take action to make a genuine difference on landfill issues.Young has already worked on sustainable ideas for a number of years. He founded his business in 2014 with the conviction that reusable products are superior, naming it after the company's commitment to being openly and honestly green.
The former investment banker worked on the reusable cup for three years. He created a 100-point checklist of essential features, such as a lid that seals after three turns and a cup that maintains liquid heat for extended periods of time. Young then sought for cafes across North America, Europe, and Australia to market his goods. It's a fantastic strategy to increase repeat business, he claims. "When you purchase your reusable cup, you create an invisible link. You begin your journey toward sustainability here.
But of course, everything came to an abrupt end in March 2020 when the planet stopped functioning. He was certain that those who had embraced reusable cups would eventually revert to their previous practices, but he also saw a chance to encourage more people to use them by incorporating money into them.
It takes skill to create a cup this intelligent. Young chose to place the chip on the top in order to prevent overheating. "It turns out that pouring boiling hot material over your credit card might take a toll," Young adds. Additionally, the business spent years collaborating with financial institutions to develop a secure payment mechanism that would still work even if you were to accidently leave your smart cup on a park bench.
The launch of the new U.S. cup may be advantageous. Even when more people leave their houses as a result of increased vaccination rates, the allure of touchless payment methods endures in a post-COVID society.
Our increased awareness that we are all in this together is a positive outcome of the pandemic, according to Young.
Sustainable consumption and production were included as one of the three broad goals of and prerequisites for sustainable development at that time, along with eliminating poverty and managing natural resources to promote economic and social progress. It was recognised that societal production and consumption must fundamentally shift if Sustainable Development Goals are to be achieved.
More information: https://www.mastercard.com/news/perspectives/2021/the-reusable-coffee-cup-is-making-a-comeback-with-a-twist/