The global shift towards sustainability has spotlighted the environmental implications of disposable takeaway coffee cups, particularly their contribution to landfill waste and ocean pollution. This report delves into the pressing challenge of reducing disposable cup waste at Schiphol Airport, especially in light of the impending Dutch regulations effective from 1 January 2024, which prohibit establishments from offering disposable plastic cups for on-site consumption.

Through comprehensive literature review and desktop research, I explored potential market alternatives, analyzing them from regulatory, business, consumer, and sustainability perspectives. My findings suggest that polypropylene (PP) cups are emerging as a preferred alternative to disposable paper cups after considering various factors.

Observations at Schiphol Airport and interviews with passengers provided insights into their preferences and perceived challenges regarding sustainable cup solutions. While there's a general preference for lightweight, portable, and easy-to-dispose cups, some concerns have emerged regarding the cleanliness and hygiene of reusable cups made from new materials, as well as the inconvenience of bringing personal cups to the airport.Stakeholder interviews highlighted challenges they face due to the new regulations, such as limited kitchen space for washing, concerns about brand experience, increased workload for cleaning companies due to improper disposal, and the difficulty of finding a one-size-fits-all solution.

In response to these challenges and insights, I propose a new service system, "Cupmates: Journey to a Zero-Waste Future." This system introduces reusable PP cups, complemented by branded sleeves for various shops, ensuring brand experience. Passengers pay a deposit for the cup and lid, which is refunded upon returning the used items to smart return box equipped with an electronic payment system. An optional QR code provides users with more information about the Cupmates service. The backend process involves a centralized collection, in-airport dishwasher cleaning, and redistribution for the cups.

Feedback from potential users and key stakeholders suggests that this solution is both feasible and viable for airport implementation and satisfactory for passengers. The report also offers recommendations for implementation, ensuring a smooth transition to a more sustainable future at Schiphol Airport. This project offers a possible solution for Schiphol Airport to address the challenges of single-use plastics and transition towards a more sustainable operational model.

In pursuit of a more sustainable future, more and more firms are seeking alternative sustainable packaging and corresponding packaging communication strategies to signal its eco-friendliness and stimulate ecological consumer behaviour. Despite the majority of research focusing on the pre-purchase stage of the packaging life cycle, limited attention has been given to enhancing post-consumption packaging disposal. This study examines the effect of both implicit (design strategy: imitation vs. differentiation), and explicit (packaging visualization and claims: long vs. short supply chain) packaging design cues on sustainability perception and disposal behaviour. Results from a laboratory study demonstrate that packaging following a differentiation strategy (vs. imitation) has a positive effect on both perceived sustainability and disposal behaviour. Furthermore, the length of the supply chain, manipulated through on-packaging visualization and claims, significantly influences disposal behaviour, with a significantly higher proportion of consumers correctly disposing of the packaging when the supply chain is depicted as short (vs. long). The findings contribute to environmental psychology and packaging design literature, providing valuable insights to designers, marketers, and policymakers in formulating effective and sustainable packaging design interventions.