Coca-Cola selects r.World as their partner for reusable cups. Here’s why.
Last week The Coca-Cola Company announced its partnership with r.Cup (owned by parent company r.World), as part of their commitment to reduce single-use waste.
This collaboration has the potential to keep millions of single-use cups out of landfills—and it’s gaining global attention.
Switching to reusable cups
Coca-Cola is working with fountain-drink concessionaires across North America to convert from single-use beverage cups to r.Cup’s reusable cup system—at music and sports venues, cinemas, restaurants, corporations, and other locations that dispense Coca-Cola beverages.
“Our customers are asking for reusable solutions,” said Anton van Zyl, director of sustainable packaging strategy at Coca‑Cola North America, and reuse is a big part of the brand’s World Without Waste initiative—to have 25% of its global product volume served to consumers in reusable packaging by 2030.
Van Zyl and his team see r.Cup as a smart, workable solution.
“Our customers are asking for reusable solutions.”
Anton van Zyl, Coca-Cola North America
Why r.Cup?
Coca-Cola has partnered with r.Cup because “r.Cups can be used up to hundreds of times, with proper handling and sanitization, and then upcycled at the end of their lifecycle.”
The company also notes that r.Cup delivers “a more premium drinking experience” for guests, while making the process of reuse easy for venues and concessionaires. The r.Cup team handles everything from collecting the used cups to washing, sanitizing, inspecting, and repackaging them to be used again.
Every element of the closed-loop r.Cup model, created by r.World, is designed to create operational efficiencies for concessionaires.
Sustainability with integrity
Coca-Cola sees r.World’s commitment to the communities they serve as an important differentiator as well.
As they note on their website, r.World’s wash hubs are “creating dozens of jobs primarily for second chance workers and military veterans and are funneling a percentage of profits to nonprofits that are working to tackle the packaging-waste crisis.”
“We believe pursuing sustainability with integrity is how we can change the world,” says Michael Martin, founder and CEO of r.Cup and its parent company r.World. “We’ve been intentional about every last piece of our reuse system—so we can do the most good for our planet and our world.”
“Offering reusable cups is a small way we can all make a big dent in the packaging waste challenge.”
Michael Martin, r.World
Leading the way in the reuse movement
As one of the first global beverage brands to launch a concerted effort to reduce single-use waste, Coca-Cola is testing and proving what works best.
“Partnering with innovators like r.World is one such example where through pilots we are experimenting, learning and expanding the options for our consumers to enjoy our beverages in reusable packaging,” said van Zyl.
Making a difference, from coast to coast
Already Coca-Cola concessionaires from Washington D.C. to Washington State, and major cities across the country, have implemented the r.Cup program. With Coca-Cola’s partnership, r.World will continue expanding r.Cup into additional cities as well.
“Our mission is to build a movement—and ultimately an infrastructure—to support the reuse economy while creating a broader economic impact in the community,” says Martin. “Offering reusable cups is a small way we can all make a big dent in the single-use waste crisis.”
