Chan Cheong Cheng Hubert (FASS/ARS1), James Tan Song En (FASS/ARS1), Lim Chen Yue Sabrina (FoE/CHE1), Quek Cai Rong Allan (FASS/ARS1), Wong Wei Wen Clarence (FoS/SCI1)
Academic Advisor: Kah Wei | Student Fellow: Lim Boon Pin
A close inspection of the life-cycle-analysis of coffee shows that it is more that just a simple beverage. Coffee waste, in particular disposable cups, occupy substantial space in landfills and contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. Hence, our group advocates the use of reusable tumblers to reduce this waste. Our journey takes us through the lens of both managers and consumers to investigate the reasons for the poor usage rate of reusable tumblers despite monetary incentives. We surveyed 113 NUS students on their consumers’ coffee consumption habits and tumbler usage. Simultaneously, we conducted an interview with a manager of Starbucks in NUS to understand the challenges cafe owners face in implementing green initiatives. Through our research, we concluded that on the consumer side, convenience is the main reason hindering reusable tumbler usage and proposed several solutions. On the management side, a stronger willpower and a more proactive top-down approach is required.
Keywords: Culture and Lifestyle Trends, Responsible Consumption, habits survey, reusable products, LCA