Case study: Morning Glory Café's reusable cup challenge

Morning Glory reported they saved 700 single-use cups and lids from landfill and reduced packaging costs by $140 during each week of the trial. The total saving of $420 is based on the $0.20 combined cost of the single-use cups and lids the café uses.

To measure results, the café used its POS to capture a complete data set of how its drinks were sold – in a reusable dine-in cup, a reusable BYO cup, a mug library cup or a single-use cup. Data was recorded for two months before the campaign, during the campaign, and for two months after the campaign. During the 3-week trial, steady increases were recorded each week until BYO Cup Day, when the cafe hit its target and 100 per cent of the drinks it sold were served in reusable cup (See the table below). 
When the final numbers came in, they were staggering – there was a 312% increase in take-away drinks sold in reusable cups during the campaign. A 191% overall increase was recorded when the baseline data from 2 months before the campaign was compared to the data from 2 months after the campaign.

Owner Susie Parker said there were multiple benefits of doing the trial, and they continued to flow afterwards. “Other than the environmental benefits, which are obvious, it was great publicity! We had press and media here – it was fantastic.”  

Regular customers loved the initiative, and the café has since become known for its commitment to sustainability. “We’ve been mentioned in local blog posts and community groups around the area, and I think we get repeat business from people that know we’re a sustainable business and want to come back. And we’re saving at least 20c per coffee!”

Morning Glory encourages reusable cups with a BYO cup discount, a mug library (like a regular library, but borrowing mugs instead of books), and eye-catching signage. They also charge extra for customers who want to dine in with a single-use cup. Owner Susie Parker is also considering a single-use surcharge for take-aways.

The success of the challenge was in part due to it targeting people who want to use a reusable cup, but don’t know what to do. “By offering them the chance to use one of our borrow-cups, buy one of our lovely cups or bring one from home, it was a real win-win.”

The multi-faceted approach and ongoing promotion was also a constant reminder to choose reusables. “One of the biggest challenges with reusables is getting people to use them! You could offer the best system available, but if you don’t promote it, no one will use it.”

The mix of social media, reuse competitions, leafleting and engaging local businesses, influencers and politicians all contributed, but there was nothing more important than having a face-to-face conversation.

“The best way we found was just talking to our customers. It was lovely to build conversations, and it helped educate them and let them know we were on the side of the planet. The reaction we got from people was phenomenal.

And on the actual BYO Cup Day, there was a real buzz in the café. We had so many more people come in because of what we were doing. It really put us on the map as a sustainable café.”