Re-Useable Mugs

The University has put in place a number of measures to reduce the use of disposable cups and the impact they have on our ability to recycle (find out more about why disposable cups are challenging for our here). 

To discourage the use of disposable mugs, the University worked with its catering contractor to make re-useable mugs (KeepCups) available from all catering outlets and offer anyone using a re-useable mug 10p off the price of the purchase of any hot drink.

In Sept. 2015 the Sustainability Team commissioned two groups of Level 3 students “Marketing Assignment” on the BA (Hons) Marketing programme to gauge awareness, identify barriers and propose potential approaches to further increase the use of re-useable mugs amongst students and staff.

One group (Group M) focused on students, whilst the other (Group D) looked at staff (their reports are available below):

• KeepCups - Students - Report
• KeepCups - Students - Campaign Brief
• KeepCups - Students - Mock-Up of Campaign Material
• KeepCups - Staff - Report

Using the insights from these projects, re-useable mugs were displayed more prominently in catering outlets, the 10p discount was extended to porcelain mugs (where available), new posters were put up in catering areas and replaced more frequently and promotions were added to the University’s caterers’ loyalty scheme.

As a result, awareness of KeepCups amongst students increased from around 30% (n=10) (as determined by Group M) in Autumn 2015 to 77% (n=78) in April 2016, with 15% of respondents claiming to owning and using one (ascertained by a survey by GCU’s Sustainability Officer).