The world’s first reusable coffee cup exchange program, Our Kinds, has begun a national rollout following its successful pilot program in WA, with its first Sydney café now in operation.
The Our Kinds coffee cup exchange program, which replaces single-use coffee cups with rescued QR-coded op shop cups, is operating in 20 cafes in Perth and Fremantle and has so far saved more than 51,000 cups from landfill.
Our Kinds gives op shop coffee cups a second chance at life by replacing single-use coffee cups and lids. When sold, the barista scans the unique QR code at the bottom of the cup, which then tells customers how many coffee cups have been saved collectively thanks to their decision to switch away from single use.
Influential Bondi Beach café, bRU Coffee, is the first café to join following the pilot program and has now completely banned all single-use coffee cups from July 1 – no exceptions. This is a monumental task, considering the cafe is predominately takeaway trade only.
“As we speak, over 1.84 billion single use coffee cups in Australia go to landfill every year – that’s 540 billion globally,” said Karen Monaghan, co-founder of Our Kinds. “Plastic waste is out of control and it is ingenious schemes like ours that will make a real difference. We use QR code technology and psychology to come up with a new model that gets around the barriers that see most reusable keep-cups left in the office kitchen. And the timing couldn’t be more perfect with WA banning single-use coffee cups from January 1st – and many cafes are scared at what the future may look like.
Image: Our Kinds
“Our second hand, reusable coffee cup solution is simple and a monumental improvement to the other reusable ‘keep-cup schemes’. These are flawed because they rely mainly on introducing brand new or recycled plastic cups to the world – and we need less plastic, not more.
Our Kinds cups are all sorted into three standard coffee order sizes, giving control back to the café owner when it comes the coffee experience. When you consider there are millions of op shop cups begging for a second life – it’s madness to use anything else. And we all know coffee tastes better and is better for you if you drink it out of a ceramic mug or glass vessel.
Co-Founder and café owner Hamish Cockburn said for customers, its easy, simple, and fun. “There’s no app to download, no fees, no fines, no tokens, and no blockers. All we ask is for the customer to ‘just bring the cup back’! The café will then professionally wash it before it goes back in to the system for the next customer. And the pilot trial in WA has proven the customers are returning their op shop cups in droves to be used again.
“The unique scannable QR code at the bottom of each cup adds to the feel-good reward because the customer instantly sees the benefit of their coffee purchase – a rolling tally of how many single use coffee cups have been saved from landfill and that will tell us how much carbon has been offset. One of our first cafes to enter the pilot program, The Corner Store in Subiaco, has already saved over 34,000 single use cups and lids from landfill in just seven months. The last few weeks have seen 12 additional cafes join the pilot and we have now saved more than 51,000 cups and lids from landfill with just 6000 cups in circulation; so we know people love it.”
“Our Kinds’ business model is a genuine circular economy that delivers value for everyone,” said Dave Martin, founder, Powerledger. “Furthermore, it’s both sustainable and recession proof – and that’s because it’s profitable. If it weren’t, the next economic downturn would see it killed it off because some bean counting decision maker would instantly switch back to buying cheap paper cups and lids. That business decision is thankfully now redundant.”
With 23,000+ cafes in Australia, Our Kinds is now recruiting likeminded businesses to join the program. Onboarding is easy. Cafes pay $60, $80 or $120 a week subscription and receive cups of their choice, measurement technology, point of sales collateral, marketing support and advocacy to all levels of government on behalf of the sector.
Sandra Beram, owner of North Bondi’s bRU Coffee and the first east coast café to join Our Kinds, explains her passion for reusable cups. “We sell close to 156,000 takeaway coffees every year and before the ban would spend about $900 each week on single use cups and lids. Now that we have imposed the blanket ban, this cost will be relegated to the history books! And as a small business owner grappling with out-of-control business costs, every little bit helps. Our Kinds system motivates customers to choose a reusable every time, helping to build new habits. This is great for the environment, the barista, the customer and the café owner. Everyone wins!”
“bRU Coffee pioneered the concept of a ‘coffee mug library’ of second-hand cups a few years ago in Sydney. A customer could use one of these to take away as long as they brought it back washed. It was an excellent system, but the Our Kinds QR technology powered program is next level. My customers love seeing how their purchase is making a collective difference to the world. They are even donating coffee cups from their homes they no longer use – and that brings a smile to my face.”
Our Kinds is currently onboarding more cafes across Australia to its program. Customers can return their rinsed coffee cups to any participating café where it will be professionally washed before re-entering the program. Customers who prefer to use their own keep cups can request their own QR code sticker so each time they say no to a single-use coffee cup, their order can count towards the running tally.
