Stronger, Greener Communities

In 2018, environmental charity Hubbub and Starbucks joined forces to help communities become stronger and greener through an innovative public donation scheme. Here’s how it works: fancy a Starbucks coffee? You can bring your own cup for a 25p discount, helping reduce waste. Alternatively, if you forget your cup, no problem! There’s a modest 5p charge for using a disposable cup, and money from the 5p Cup Charge funds innovative projects benefiting our neighbourhoods and the environment.

The 5p Cup Charge has enabled Hubbub to do some amazing things: both expanding successful programs like our Community Fridge Network and starting new projects like the Greener Communities. We’ve helped create 27 new or enhanced community-led green spaces, redistributed 7,000 tonnes of fresh food to save it from being wasted and worked on reducing waste from disposable cups.

The partnership is a win-win-win: it enables Starbucks to directly fund and be involved with community-led environmental initiatives. It allows Hubbub to develop new and impactful ways to achieve our charitable purpose: to inspire action that is good for the environment, and everyone. And most importantly, it continues to have real environmental impacts, so we’re all winners really.