The idea is simple. Use reward points that can only be earned by NOT using a disposable cup. Bring in your own reusable cup and earn points through a membership program. This could easily be incorporated into a current rewards program as bonus points so more people would join while still promoting the use of non-disposable cups.
This system is also self supporting since each cup and lid combo costs approximately 10 cents US. These savings, as felt by the coffee shop, are then passed to the consumer through rewards that can be exchanged for real products or discounts.
The reward amounts can be set to whatever the retailer chooses. For example:
The consumer earns points worth 5 cents per cup of coffee. The retailer in turn saves overall 5 cents per sale.
As stated by the contest intro, over 58 billion cups are wasted each year. This equals an annual $2.9 billion dollars in possible savings for retailers and $2.9 billion possibly earned by the consumers through points. The retailers could run the rewards system themselves or, as suggested by the title, a central company can manage the program for all co-operating businesses. In this case, the retailers would pay the co-op a small amount per cup sold, allowing the same membership card to be used at any participating coffee stands, not just the chain retailers, providing for a much larger coverage area. Also, there is no reason a co-op couldn't reach into other markets that use paper cups. Fast food, convenient stores, gas stations, etc. are all contributors to waste. Since the rewards are set by retailers then this prevents issues with standardized cup sizes.
This idea stands on the principle that people will go to greater lengths to save/earn money then to save the environment. We can all believe that people will do what is best for the future but we know this isn't true every time we see a car that gets 8 mpg or litter laying on the street. This system will convince those who wouldn't lift a finger to do the right thing because they get what they want(savings/earnings), retailers get what they want(savings/earning) and the environment gets what it needs(smaller landfills and energy saved by not making throwaway cups to begin with)
Everyone wins, especially the environment.
Now one might say, "Why not just give a discount?" The answer to that is in human behavior. You could give someone a dime every time they bring in their own cup and they will go "really, a dime?" but if you give them say 100 points(worth 10 cents) and show a list of items you could earn they will ignore the value of the points and focus on the goal. As weird as it sounds, limiting a persons options in such a way makes them feel like they are being given more and allows them to focus on what they want out of their choices.
Also, information is a valuable asset in business. Knowing WHO is buying WHAT and WHEN is received through rewards programs(that is why they are so pervasive nowadays) and this one is no different. As a business you will know more about your customers habits and this helps to make better decisions and prevent waste(both material and advertising) thus improving profit margins.
The main problem with rewards programs is convincing someone to sign up. Many people are paranoid about giving information to companies. Through direct cash returns to customers it is more likely that customers would sign up. Since with more members more information is gained this leads to potentially higher profit margins. As a result it may be possible to provide customers with a larger reward per cup saved then a cup even costs. Offering greater rewards, double point days, etc could also be used to bring in business.
As stated, these sort of systems are pervasive. Why not use them to benefit the environment.
€20,000 Overall Community Prize
to be defined Sold Idea
Product Design: Help reduce waste from coffee-to-go paper cups and come up with sustainable solutions!
Closed
Announced
Submission Period (61 Days)
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rameg7
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BenjaminTStanley
http://www.jovoto.com/contests/drink-sustainably/ideas/4673
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critterfluffy idea owner
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critterfluffy idea owner
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Janne
Concerning your question: The idea of this whole website is to enhance entries by discussing them openly. So I would see no need to add any person who shares a good idea. But you could write a pm to texastee, the contest-guide, if you are unsure about it.
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Qvistar
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BenGatti
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omaroyoun