STiR coffee and tea magazine

STiR coffee and tea 31 Abigail Forsyth, KeepCup's co-founder and managing director. Credit: KeepCup Pty Ltd. KEEPCUP "Keep it and use it again" One of the earliest pioneers of reusable cups at a time when single-use plastics were still the norm was Australia-based KeepCup Pty. Ltd. Nomen est omen, its brainchild, "KeepCup" was initially introduced to coffee lovers in a trendy Melbourne café in 2009. Since then, KeepCup has gained a market footprint in more than 75 countries, according to company co-founder and managing director, Abigail Forsyth. "KeepCup started with the simple idea 'keep it and use it again' that grew from [our] concerns about the sheer volume of [plastic] packaging being consumed, particularly disposable, non-recyclable cups lined with polyethylene," she recalled. "The goal was to kick-start behavioral change, shifting from discarding towards reusing." The cup base of the KeepCup "Original" is made of polypropylene (PP #5) and co-polyester (Tritan #7), while low-density polyethylene (LDPE #4) is used for the lid and sipping hole plug. "Plastic was chosen because it is heat resistant, lightweight and durable, and appropriate for quick service environments. It's also light and stackable, which reduces the environmental cost of freight and allows us to bulk-ship free from retail packaging whenever possible," Forsyth said. Plastic and glass – and a bit of cork, too But why replace single-use plastic with multiple-use plastic? Well, when KeepCup was designed, the Australian firm believed that recycling was a viable solution. That stance has somewhat changed since. "We now know that only 9% of all plastic ever made has been recycled and that plastic can only be recycled 4 to 5 times," Forsyth explained, but also added that "plastic has a place in reuse, because, when used responsibly in high- quality products that can be reused again and again, it facilitates an overall reduction in [disposable] plastic waste. That being said, the company has since also launched its "Brew" range, which is made from tempered lime soda glass. Forsyth recalled that while this material was

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