The combination of providing reusable cups, in-store messaging about cup waste and
charging for disposable cups could reduce the use of as many as 300 million disposable cups
per year in the United Kingdom alone, according to a new research report from Cardiff
University. The study 16 the Dublin, Ireland-based coffee and tea company Bewley’s,
whose primary operations are in the UK and United States through grocery sales, various
retail cafe brands and wholesale supply. “There is a huge amount of waste being sent to landfill each year and promoting reusable
cups is part of the solution,” Louise Whitaker, head of marketing at Bewley’s UK, said in a
Cardiff University announcement of the study, which did not mention potential reductions in
expenses on the part of retailers 17 consumers turn to reusable options. “As a company
we are committed to working with our cup providers and customers to provide a solution to
the problem.”
The study, conducted from September to December of 2016, found an estimated 2.5
billion cups are used in the UK each year, 18 approximately 25,000 tons of waste.
While measuring the effectiveness of individual strategies in discouraging cup use—including
charging a fee for disposable cups, environmental messaging in cafes, and providing reusable
cups either for purchase or for free—the study found that it was the combination of these
methods that resulted in the greatest behavioral change among consumers. “The study found
that the provision of free re-usable alternatives 19 clear environmental messaging and a
charge on disposable cups increased the use of reusable cups from 5.1 percent to 17.4 percent,”
the Cardiff announcement said.
The study also noted an oddity of consumer behavior, in which consumers were less
likely to be swayed by discounts on reusable cups than they were by fees for disposable cups.
“There is an important 20 when it comes to financial incentives,” said Cardiff Professor
Wouter Poortinga. “People are far more sensitive to losses than to gains when making decisions—so if we really want to change a customer’s behavior, then a charge on a
disposable cup is more likely to be effective.”
【題組】16.
(A) was commissioned by
(B) was commissioned
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(D) commissioned