When LinkedIn's Dublin EMEA headquarters approached KeepCup, the brief was specific: eliminate single-use takeaway cups from their internal café operations across a large workforce site. The constraint was practical: any reuse system had to integrate with the existing café service flow without slowing it down. The result became one of the more instructive corporate reuse case studies of recent years.
This is what worked, what didn't, and what UK workplaces planning similar transitions should take from it.
The Starting Point
LinkedIn Dublin's internal cafés served a large volume of hot drinks per day across multiple outlets. The disposable cup volume was substantial. Pre-pandemic personal reusable cup usage by employees was modest. Post-pandemic it dropped lower.
The business problem was waste, LinkedIn's sustainability commitments required measurable progress on operational waste streams, and disposable cup volume was the largest single waste category. The user-experience problem was that asking thousands of employees to bring personal reusables every day had not worked, did not scale, and would not meet the timeline.
The KeepCup Solution
The implemented system, in summary:
- Branded co-design KeepCup units distributed to all employees as part of onboarding.
- A loaner cup pool at each café outlet, for employees who forgot their cup that day. Cups returned end-of-day; washed centrally.
- A small discount on hot drinks served in any reusable cup, applied automatically to LinkedIn employee accounts.
- Disposable cups removed from all outlets after a phased transition period, with one outlet retained as overflow for visitors and contractors.
- Replacement parts (lids, seals, bands) stocked at outlet counters for free replacement of damaged components, important because KeepCup products are tested to 1,000 uses and the replacement parts ecosystem extends life further.
The launch was structured as a transition rather than a switch. The transition period allowed employees to develop reuse muscle memory before the disposable option was withdrawn.
The Outcomes
Twelve months post-launch, disposable cup usage was substantially reduced, the remaining disposables were concentrated at the retained outlet for visitors and contractors. Reusable cup usage at primary outlets reached operational saturation (no disposable alternative offered). The loaner pool covered a small fraction of daily volume (representing employees who forgot their cup that day). Employee satisfaction with the system was strongly positive. The program reached cost-positive within the first year, with disposable cup procurement savings exceeding the reusable cup investment.
The program's results held over time. Disposable cup usage stayed at low levels long after the launch. The loaner pool was actually reduced after the first eighteen months because employees were carrying personal cups more consistently than expected.
What Worked
Five elements that contributed disproportionately:
1. Distribution at Onboarding
New employees received their KeepCup as part of laptop and badge issue. The cup became a default item of office equipment rather than an optional purchase. New starters integrated reuse behaviour from day one rather than retrofitting it later.
2. The Loaner Pool
The loaner pool removed the "I forgot my cup" failure mode. Employees who would otherwise have used disposables took a loaner instead. The pool was small but solved the largest single objection raised during planning.
3. Replacement Parts at Counter
A damaged seal or lost lid is the moment most reuse programs fail, employees discard the cup and revert to disposables. Free replacement parts at the outlet counter kept cups in service rather than discarded.
4. Visible Discount
The discount per drink was small in absolute terms but visible at point-of-sale. For employees drinking multiple coffees per day, the annualised saving was enough to be motivating.
5. Phased Disposable Removal
The phased transition with disposable available alongside reusable allowed employees to build the habit before the alternative was removed. A same-day switch would have generated significant resistance.
What Didn't Work
Two early elements that had to be adjusted:
Take-Home Sanitisation Concerns
Some employees expressed initial concern about cleaning cups they'd taken home. The solution was simple: a brief sanitisation protocol communicated in writing, plus a desk-side rinse station at the main café outlet. Concerns dropped quickly.
Visitor Access
The initial plan to remove all disposables from all outlets proved impractical for visitors and contractors who hadn't received cups. The retained overflow outlet, with disposables available, solved this without affecting employee behaviour.
How the Model Translates to UK Workplaces
The case study translates to UK corporate contexts with three adjustments:
Adjustment 1: Hot and Cold Drink Mix
UK workplace coffee culture is seeing rising cold drink consumption alongside the traditional hot drink mix. Reusable programs need to cover both formats. The KeepCup Cold Cup Longplay and Cold Cup Thermal ranges fill the cold drink role at quality comparable to the Brew range for hot drinks.
Adjustment 2: Lease and Café Operator
Most UK corporate cafés are operated by third-party providers (contract caterers). The reuse program requires the café operator's cooperation, not opposition. Bringing the operator into program design from the start reduces resistance and improves outcomes.
Adjustment 3: Procurement Scale
UK corporate sites vary widely in size, from small offices to large multi-floor HQs. KeepCup's wholesale and custom branding programs scale to suit UK corporate orders of varying sizes.
What UK Businesses Should Take From This
Three practical lessons:
- Distribution beats encouragement. Giving every employee a cup outperforms asking every employee to bring one.
- Solve the failure modes. Loaner pools, replacement parts, sanitisation guidance, the program design has to address the specific reasons people revert to disposables.
- Phased transitions outperform same-day switches. Build the habit before removing the alternative.
The Wider Frame
The disposable coffee cup is unusual among packaging waste streams: it has been demonstrated, repeatedly, that reuse systems work at scale in workplace contexts. The barrier isn't customer reluctance or operational impossibility. It's the absence of a willingness to design and fund the transition.
UK workplaces planning their next phase of sustainability commitments should look at workplace reuse as the lowest-effort highest-impact intervention available. The evidence base is mature. The case studies are working. The remaining question is execution.
FAQs
How does workplace reuse work at scale?
Distribute branded reusable cups to employees at onboarding, operate a small loaner pool for forgotten cups, offer free replacement parts at outlets, apply a visible discount on reusable purchases, and phase out disposables over a transition period.
What were the LinkedIn Dublin results?
A substantial reduction in disposable cup usage, sustained at low levels in the years following launch. Net cost-positive within the first year.
Can KeepCup support corporate reuse programs in the UK?
Yes. KeepCup operates a custom corporate program covering branded cups, wholesale procurement, loaner pool setup and replacement parts ecosystems.
How much does a corporate reuse program cost?
Per-employee cost depends on cup choice and program scale, plus loaner pool and replacement parts. Most programs recover cost within the first year through disposable procurement savings.
Bank of England
The Full Pantry