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Reusable Cups: The Growing Trend and the Need for Linerless Sticky Labels
The restaurant trend of using reusable cups to increase sustainability in operations is gaining momentum. Linerless sticky labels make it practical.
July 19, 2024
Since 2020, restaurants have significantly changed their operations. They adapted to regulations and mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic. They added online ordering and curbside pickup options to offer customers new ways to engage. They deployed self-service ordering and payment kiosks to meet changing consumer preferences.
However, the evolution of this industry isn’t over. Now, chains are prioritizing sustainability, transitioning to reusable cups. Repositionable linerless sticky labels will be vital to making that strategy work.
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The Challenge of Beverage Cup Waste
Stopping for coffee on the way to work or between errands is routine for many consumers. However, the cups they use are piling up. The Guardian reports that the U.S. landfills about 25 billion polystyrene cups each year, and that material takes about 500 years to decompose.
However, polystyrene isn’t the only type of cup that negatively impacts the environment. The estimated 16 billion paper cups that U.S. consumers use each year require cutting down about 6.5 million trees. Furthermore, adding up the cup, sleeve, production, and shipping, each paper cup is responsible for 110g of carbon dioxide emitted into the environment.
While protecting the environment and complying with new regulations for sustainable operations are driving changes in how restaurants serve to-go beverages, another factor is cost. Every 1,000 cups and lids cost about $75-$150, and with traditional processes, it’s equivalent to paying for something that immediately heads to a landfill. It’s one more reason that restaurants are taking a serious look at joining the reusable cup trend.
Chains Trailblazing the Transition to Reusable Cups
One chain that has launched a program to serve beverages in reusable cups is Tim Hortons. The brand, which had used this model before the pandemic, offers a 10-cent discount to customers who bring a clean reusable cup for their hot or cold beverage orders. Tim Hortons reports that, in 2019, it was able to reduce the number of disposable cups it used by 15 million for hot beverage orders alone.
Starbucks is also emerging as a leader in this area, becoming the first to accept reusable cups at the drive-thru and for mobile orders at participating locations in the U.S. and Canada. When customers place their orders at the drive-thru or with the Starbucks app, they let the barista know they brought a reusable cup. When they arrive at the pickup window or the counter, the barista collects the cup in a contactless vessel to ensure hygiene.
After baristas prepare orders, they serve them in customers’ cups. These customers receive a 10-cent discount, 25 Bonus Stars, and the satisfaction of supporting Starbucks’ commitment to reduce waste by 50% by 2030.
Repositionable Linerless Sticky Labels Make Serving Beverages in Reusable Cups Practical
When serving beverages in customers’ reusable cups, it’s essential to ensure employees can quickly identify which cup belongs to which customer. Repositionable sticky labels allow restaurants and cafes to keep the order and customer information with the cup to avoid mix-ups. If the goal is to reduce waste, ensuring the correct order is poured into the right cup is essential. Otherwise, employees would have to discard the beverage and remake the order.
Also, repositionable labels are durable enough to stay attached throughout the process but are easy for customers to remove. Therefore, they don’t have to scrape off a permanent label so they can use the cup again.
An even more environmentally friendly option is to use repositionable linerless sticky labels. These labels don’t have a backing that employees must remove before applying them. This streamlines processes, allowing employees to even apply labels with one hand. Linerless labels also decrease the waste that the restaurant or café produces and clutter from paper backing on counters or the floor.
Additionally, linerless rolls contain 60% more labels, so employees spend less time replacing label rolls and more time serving customers.
Linerless labels have no backing, giving more labels per roll with less waste.
Read Decoding Labels: The Importance of Permanent Linerless Labeling in Modern Business >
Restaurants Need Flexible Print Capabilities
Printing repositionable linerless sticky labels for reusable cups is just one of the print jobs required at cafes and restaurants. They also need to print receipts and may need to print permanent labels for prepared foods or shelf labels for inventory control.
Brands that partner with third-party delivery services may want to generate tamper-proof labels to assure customers of quality and safety. The restaurant or café may also want to create custom QR codes or branded labels on demand to enhance customer engagement.
The best investment is in a printer capable of handling a variety of linerless label sizes to meet all of the business’s needs. This printer will also allow a restaurant or café to keep up with emerging restaurant trends, like “bring your own cup” (BYOC) or other labeling use cases on the horizon.
Recommended Linerless Label Printers
TSP143IV SK Sticky Label Printer
The TSP143IV SK by Star Micronics sets a new standard for compact, eco-friendly thermal linerless label printing, offering advanced connectivity options like Wi-Fi and AOA, and efficient, residue-free labels for diverse business needs.
mC-Label3 Multimedia Printer
The Star Micronics mC-Label3 is a versatile multimedia printer that prints a wide range of labels and receipts, including both permanent and repositionable sticky linerless. It features cloud connectivity and innovative technologies like SteadyLAN and TetherLAN for enhanced printing convenience.
The restaurant industry’s evolution will continue as consumer behaviors and regulations change, technology advances, and new challenges arise. The best strategy is to stay agile, open to adapting to what lies ahead, and informed about solutions that make new processes practical and cost-effective.
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Star Micronics, a world-leading POS and labeling solutions provider, has designated a portfolio of printing, secure cash management, and customer engagement tools for any retail and hospitality establishment with a POS or mPOS environment.
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