CupClub

A London company that offers reusable, returnable cups and food containers as a service, so cafes and events can cut single-use packaging.

About CupClub

CupClub runs a reusable packaging service. Instead of a cafe buying throwaway cups, it uses CupClub's cups, which customers return to participating outlets or collection points, where they are collected, washed and sent out again. Each cup is made of recyclable polypropylene with a lid made of low-density polyethylene and, according to a trade article, can be reused up to 132 times before it is recycled. The cups carry a tracking code so the company can follow them, and a loyalty scheme encourages people to bring them back. A trade article called CupClub the first company in the world to provide packaging as a service for the catering industry.

Safia Qureshi conceived the idea of cups as a service and designed the cup. The company has said its purpose is to cut throwaway packaging by making reuse easy and traceable. It cites studies suggesting a 40% reduction in single-use packaging is possible. CupClub was one of the winners of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's New Plastics Economy Circular Design Challenge, which looks for ideas that keep materials in use rather than throwing them away. We did not find a separate mission statement in the pages we read.

Articles describe CupClub as London-based. Its customers are coffee shops, drinks distributors and retailers, and its articles suggest it could also work with offices, building owners and universities. Customers do not pay an extra fee for the cup, because the cost is built into the price of the drink through agreements between CupClub and its partners. We could not confirm from the sources we read where its washing and sorting happens, or which UK towns and cities it covers today.

The sources do not describe CupClub's culture or how many people work there, and the only person named is its founder. The model shows a company that sits between design, technology and logistics, because its cups need to be well designed, tracked with technology and moved around a city efficiently. That is our summary of the business model, not a statement by the company. As the sources are several years old, check the website to see how the business looks now.

Roles in a company like this include product designers, software and data staff who run the tracking, logistics and operations staff who collect, wash and redistribute cups, account managers who work with cafes and event organisers, and finance and marketing staff. Design, engineering, computing, business and environmental studies could all lead there. The company's own website is the place to check for current roles.

What they do

• {'desc': 'Branded reusable cups supplied to cafes, shops and events.', 'title': 'Reusable cups as a service'}
• {'desc': 'Collection of used cups, then washing and redistribution.', 'title': 'Return and wash'}
• {'desc': 'Tracked packaging and a scheme that encourages customers to return it.', 'title': 'Tracking and loyalty'}

Key facts

• London-based reusable packaging company; cup designed by founder Safia Qureshi
• Cups made of recyclable polypropylene and reusable up to 132 times (trade article)
• Winner in the Ellen MacArthur Foundation New Plastics Economy Circular Design Challenge
• Customers include coffee shops, distributors and retailers

Website: www.cupclub.com