Upstream, in partnership with Remark.eco, hosted a one day virtual design sprint in August 2020 using GV Sprint Methodology. Our goal was to develop a scalable, viable model for reusable systems for prepared food and beverage in the COVID era, helping businesses stay open and thriving while also protecting our health and the planet. So we organized a small group of experts to come up with solutions to encourage reusables during the COVID crisis and wanted to share the results.

After interviewing restaurant owners during the sprint and in the field to learn about introducing reusability into their takeout and delivery systems – which are swelling with orders  as a result of COVID – we learned that we can address challenges and add value to restaurants in three key ways: 

1. Save them time. One owner reported working ten times as hard for ten times less.

2. Save them money. Owners reported a significant decline in sales and the need to layoff staff to cut costs. 

3. Help them sell more food and drinks – and retain existing diners while attracting new diners. 

We identified, discussed, and put virtual pen to paper in a “MURAL Board,” drawing our best, innovative ideas for community-wide reuse systems. Participants strongly aligned with and recognized the need for reusable programs and infrastructure to operate like any other city service one might find available for trash, water, and sewage.  

We also identified the need for public-private partnerships and capital to support community-wide collection, dishwashing, and logistics services (like a linen service but for foodware). Dishwashing capacity and funding/capital are probably the biggest challenges facing us on our road to a reusable economy. Additional challenges identified include convenience, cost, and single-use consumer habits. 

Interesting ideas around building partnerships with trash hauling and third party food delivery companies also arose. We imagined a future where the fourth bin in every home and business – where you already have landfill, recycling, and organics streams – will be for reusable and refillable consumer, retail, and food and beverage containers. One “sprinter” drew a reverse vending machine, and others sketched out reuse collection stations conveniently placed at grocery stores and other retail outlets. 

Most importantly, we defined the need to make reuse options as easy, convenient and cheap for businesses and their customers as single-use is currently. And all participants agree that we need to make reuse “cool” – and we are going to need influencers in the food and media industry to make that happen.  

Even though we did not make it to the prototyping phase of a “product,” which typically is the goal of any design sprint, the learnings from this virtual day helped structure a vision for the future reusable economy that is viable during the unprecedented times we find ourselves in. And this has informed Upstream’s strategy as we build out our first ever reusable take-out cup and container pilots targeting restaurants and their customers in an “open network” setting.

To learn more, you can visit the case study of the design sprint here.