Brewing Change: How Returnr & St Ali delivered Zero Waste Coffee
In September 2019, Returnr and Melbourne’s iconic coffee pioneers St Ali joined forces to take on one of Australia’s biggest design events - The Big Design Market in Sydney. Over three packed days at The Cutaway, Barangaroo, more than 30,000 visitors browsed, shopped, and of course, drank coffee.
But unlike previous years, there wasn’t a single disposable cup in sight.
Instead, every one of the 3,000+ coffees and hot drinks poured at the event was served in a Returnr stainless steel cup under a simple, closed-loop system. The result? Zero single-use cups used, and more than 3,000 cups diverted from landfill in just one weekend.
How the System Worked
The model was simple and effective:
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Borrow a cup — Customers paid a $6 refundable deposit for a Returnr stainless steel cup.
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Enjoy the coffee — Hot drinks were served exactly as customers expected, with the option to purchase a reusable lid if desired.
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Return and refund — Cups could be returned for a full refund on the spot, or kept and reused at any cafe.
Behind the scenes, the Returnr team were working hard to make it seamless:
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Educating customers about the deposit system.
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Helping reduce wait times by pre-taking orders and writing names on cups.
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Selling reusable lids for those who wanted a full takeaway setup.
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Running cup return stations to quickly process refunds.
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Washing, drying, and re-circulating cups back into service.
It was a smooth, no-fuss experience for both St Ali and their customers.
Why It Worked
Several key factors ensured the success of this ambitious zero-waste activation:
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Closed environment: The Big Design Market is a ticketed event with its own central food court. That meant every coffee sold came from the same system — there was no readily available single-use cup option on site.
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Single coffee supplier: With St Ali running every coffee cart, consistency was guaranteed. There was no need to coordinate across multiple vendors. The communication and delivery of the deposit-return system was simple and uncomplicated.
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All-in commitment: St Ali backed the system 100%, only serving drinks in Returnr cups. No disposables were kept as a fallback.
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On-site support: The Returnr team’s hands-on involvement removed friction — helping customers, handling logistics, and making sure everything ran smoothly.
The Results
The impact of the collaboration was clear and measurable:
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30,000+ attendees over 3 days.
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3,000+ coffees and hot drinks served.
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Zero single-use cups used — every cup borrowed and returned.
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No reduction in coffee sales compared to the previous year.
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No customer complaints about the $6 deposit system.
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No unaccounted-for cup loss at the end of the event.
In other words, a zero-waste success story without compromise.
Lessons for the Future
This case study proves that large-scale zero-waste coffee service is not only possible but can be executed without disruption to customer experience or vendor profitability.
Key takeaways:
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Make it closed: Controlled environments like festivals, markets, and events are perfect for closed loop reuse initiatives.
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One supplier = one system: Simplifying options, communications and logistics by offering a single system removes complexity for end users.
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Customer education matters: A friendly team on the ground makes the system easy and approachable.
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Deposits work: The $6 system was simple, fair, and effective — with no resistance from customers.
Brewing a Zero-Waste Future
The Big Design Market 2019 wasn’t just about great design — it showed how design thinking can reshape even the most everyday experiences, like grabbing a coffee. By combining St Ali’s quality coffee with Returnr’s reusable cup system, the event set a new standard for sustainable hospitality at scale.
For Returnr, it was a milestone moment: proof that zero-waste coffee is not only achievable, but also desirable. For customers, it was a taste of what the future of coffee can look like — delicious, seamless, and waste-free.
If you are looking for high quality reusable packaging to launch circular reuse at your festival, market or sporting event, contact Returnr today: https://returnr.org/pages/contact-us
