ABSTRACT
Quote:
Human convenience is an expense the environment cannot afford.
Madhavi Venkatesan
Case Problem:
Reuse versus single-use, what determines sustainability?
Chapter Overview:
The rise of the coffee shop culture has dramatically increased both use and waste of convenience single-serve coffee cups. Recently, a few companies have been established across the United States in large metropolitan markets where they have partnered with local and chain coffee shops to provide reusable containers that are essentially rented by consumers and deposited in various locations (based on demographic assessments) in the city for pick-up, cleaning and redeployment. These companies incorporate social and sustainability marketing within a sharing economy model. In providing their intermediary service, they are promoting behavior change by facilitating access and use of a reusable product and reducing the perceived environmental footprint of the consumption phase of coffee. This chapter addresses the marketing model of USEFULL, a reuse service that services coffee shops and corporate clients in Boston, Massachusetts (USA). Highlighted in the discussion is the significance of evaluating the entirety of a consumable's life cycle in assessing the sustainability of one component and, addressing from this perspective how both social and sustainable marketing may limit the attainment of sustainability. The chapter concludes with a perspective on the responsibility of marketing in promoting sustainability.
