Bay Area Cafes Test Reusable NextGen Cup Challenge Systems

Cafes in San Francisco and Palo Alto, California, are set to begin testing two new reusable cup systems from among the NextGen Cup Challenge winners. These pilots represent the latest stage in the NextGen Consortium’s efforts to identify viable alternatives to single-use packaging and scale them up.

The NextGen Cup Challenge selected 12 winners last year across three categories: cup and cup liners, materials, and reusable cup service models. London-based CupClub operates a returnable cup service for drinks similar to bike-sharing, while Singapore-based Muuse operates a deposit-based platform that connects reusable cups and third-party products to IoT technologies.

Some