A: You can’t have failed to notice the media campaigns around the damage caused to the environment and our oceans by single-use plastic. A truck load of plastic waste enters the oceans every single minute because our global waste system cannot cope with the volume we are producing.

Climate change is happening because of emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) generated by human activity. Climate change represents the biggest threat to our planet, to the human race and to wildlife. The average temperature of the planet has increased by 1.5°c in the last 200 years, and we are on course for a further 2°c temperature increase by 2100. Unless immediate action is taken, this will cause irreversible devastation, sea level rise and acidification of oceans which will result in flooding and extreme weather patterns causing massive disruption to human life.  

Our use of resources is at an unprecedented rate, and our way of life leads to the production of unsustainable levels of waste. Switching to a sustainable reusable solution to replace single-use packaging is a positive contribution to reducing GHG emissions and ultimately being kinder to our planet.

The independent, not-for-profit organisation, Julie’s Bicycle, published a report in 2023 called “Raising The Bar: Choosing the most sustainable cup type for your indoor venue.” Some of the key findings of this report are outlined below:

1 – It is estimated that at least 80 million single-use cups are used across UK venues each year. This equates to an industry spend of £4.8 million on single-use cups annually. A venue with a 2,000 capacity, running three shows per week may use over 686,400 single-use cups at a cost of £41,184 each year.

2 – Reusable cups have a lower environmental impact than single-use cups when they are used more than 3 times. This is because only one reusable cup needs to be made to cater for multiple drinks. When used 75 times, reusable cups create 87% less emissions than 75 single-use cups.

3 – The cup with the lowest environmental impact is a reusable cup with the following characteristics:

• Made from PP plastic

• Unbranded

• Used at least 3 times

• Washed at an efficient facility within 50km of the venue.

4 – There is a perception that loss rates of reusable cups (through damage or audiences taking them home) mean they are too expensive and even less environmentally beneficial than single-use cups. It is true that the more reusable cups are lost, the less positive environmental impact is gained against single-use cups. Some studies show that a loss rate of 20% can mean reusable cups have a higher environmental impact than single-use cups17. However, based on our industry engagement, the average cup loss rate per event is 4% when cups are unbranded. The low loss rate means that it is still more beneficial to have reusable cups from an environmental perspective.

5- Reusable cups are made from more durable plastic that cannot be crushed underfoot like single-use cups. This has given rise to perceived safety concerns that reusables may cause trip hazards on dance floors or may be harmful if thrown during an event. However, there is no evidence to suggest that reusable cups cause more of a slip risk than crushed disposable cups. In fact, a deposit scheme which places value on returning cups to the bar means fewer cups are likely to be present on the dance floor and elsewhere around the venue than would be the case with single-use cups. As for cups bring thrown, there have been too few reported cases to regard this as a significant risk. If there are certain events which may be more likely to see cups being thrown, a temporary switch to a paper single-use cup could be an option, rather than discounting reusable cups long-term.