Price-savvy customers make sure to BYOC

A customer grabs a Starbucks tumbler at a store in Seoul. [NEWS1]

More people are bringing their own cups to coffee shops as consumers become more conscious of environmental issues and companies promote campaigns to use less single-use plastic cups.

The number of people bringing their own reusable cups increased by 20 percent from the beginning of the year to July 22 compared to the same period last year, according to Starbucks Korea.

The sharp increase was due to the company raising the discount for those bringing reusable cups from 300 won (24 cents) to 400 won in January, as well as customers’ increasing interest in environmental issues.

Starbucks has been collecting data on the use of personal cups since 2007. Since then, the total number of orders with personal cups has amounted to 100 million.

A total of 13.8 million orders were made with reusable cups so far this year. That number surpassed 10 million in May, a month faster compared to 2021.

The total number of single-use plastic cups used in cafes and restaurants reaches 2.8 billion on average every year, according to the Ministry of Environment.

The ministry said it will implement a disposable cup deposit system starting in December that will require certain franchises to charge a 300-won deposit fee to customers per single-use takeout cup.

However, the system has faced criticism from small merchants and franchisee owners who say they will face more burdens, such as labor costs, if the system is implemented.

There have been calls for more campaigns to motivate customers to use personal cups at big franchises. Currently, big coffee shops in Korea give discounts of between 100 and 500 won if customers bring their own cups. Paul Bassett gives a discount of 500 won, Angel-in-us 400 won and A Twosome Place and Pascucci 300 won.

On the 10th of every month since 2018, Starbucks Korea has been hosting a no single-use plastic day, on which customers who bring their own cups earn the chance to win free drink vouchers. Some 1,400 participants of 500,000 have received vouchers in the first half of this year.

BY KIM KYUNG-HEE [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]