The Important Role Of Returnable Cup Schemes For Sustainable Stadia

Sports fans around the globe are becoming ever more conscious of the impact they – and the clubs they follow – are making on the environment. With this in mind, many forward‑thinking clubs are exploring the ways they can make their stadia and the overall fan experience much more sustainable. Here, Adam Trethewy, Commercial Lead at Circular&Co., reveals how the concept of a returnable cup scheme can play an important role.

Recent years have seen a real explosion in the number of solutions available to assist sports clubs of varying sizes with their sustainability efforts. From bold statements like plans to build the UK’s first all‑electric stadium through to more pragmatic changes like sustainable transport incentives for fans, it’s evident that the sporting arena is set to boost its green credentials like never before.

While a returnable cup scheme may be more of an evolution than a revolution, the potential impact it can make shouldn’t be underestimated. A returnable cup scheme presents clubs with the opportunity to replace the sort of single‑use cups their bar staff and catering teams will have been used to, with returnable alternatives that can be washed and reused up to 1,000 times. It’s simple – all fans need to do on a matchday is return their cup to a specified collection point to be cleaned for future use, establishing a circular economy of available cups within a stadium.

Get The Fans On Side

The key to success of any returnable cup scheme is getting the fans, who the process revolves around, onside. Catering teams are encouraged to stock returnable cups in a variety shapes and sizes – most importantly coffee cups, pint cups and even half pint cups, to cater for every request from the other side of the bar.

Increasing uptake might seem challenging, but the possibilities for doing so are endless. For instance, the latest range of returnable cup schemes can be manufactured with QR codes to provide fans with the chance to enter giveaways, receive discounts on food and drink or even join a loyalty scheme that rewards them for every cup that is purchased and returned. Commercial teams can also explore the possibility of selling sponsorship of their cups in order to offset any upfront costs of implementing a new returnable cup scheme.

Through powerful Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology, it’s also possible to track cups at every point in the process. A centralised digital data dashboard can display these metrics to senior stakeholders at the club, aiding asset management, stock inventory, physical location, return and reuse rates as well as CO2 savings. What’s more, making this data publicly accessible online would allow every fan to see how their actions and those of others are helping to create a more sustainable future.

Get The Right ‘Binfrastructure’

Adopting a returnable cup scheme doesn’t mean that you must overhaul your existing site layout and waste management regime either. Instead, it’s possible to incorporate it within the stadium’s existing ‘binfrastructure’, helping managers to avoid the need to make significant, and often expensive, changes to their recycling structure, all while achieving greater results.

The same thought process can be applied to the facility’s capacity to store the required number of returnable cups. Clubs are encouraged to work closely with a specialist provider to aid forecasting and ensure a suitable purchase of the number of cups in the circular economy.

Although many clubs will have worked with suppliers to ensure they sell and serve drinks in recycled plastic cups and bottles, there is still a chance to go much further by using returnable cups.

Doing so will help the most forward‑thinking clubs to prepare for any further legislative changes, all while presenting themselves as leaders in their respective fields.

To find out more about Circular&Co and its returnable cup concept, visit circularandco.com/returnable‑cup‑scheme.