On a busy festival site or in a packed stadium, tens of thousands of cups are handed out every day. Whilst this used to result in a mountain of waste for years, Borro is proving that there is another way. With a smart digital return system, the Belgian start-up makes reusable cups easy for both visitors and organisers. The result? Millions fewer disposable cups, without compromising on ease of use.
We spoke to the team behind Borro about how an idea for circular packaging developed into a scalable system that aims to change the norm when it comes to reuse.
We spoke to the team behind Borro about how an idea for circular packaging developed into a scalable system that aims to change the norm when it comes to reuse.
"We wanted to design a system that people would use naturally"
How did the idea for Borro come about?
“Borro actually started out as a Deliveroo project focusing on reusable packaging. We soon realised that the greatest impact wouldn’t come from individual containers, but from places where large numbers of people gather. Stadiums and events use hundreds of thousands of cups in a single day. That’s where we could really make a difference.”
“Right from the start, one question was central: how do we ensure that reusing feels just as natural as disposing of items? That’s why we integrated our system as fully as possible into existing user flows, such as payments and access controls. Supporters don’t need to learn anything new. Everything feels intuitive. And it’s precisely that ease of use that makes all the difference.”
“Borro actually started out as a Deliveroo project focusing on reusable packaging. We soon realised that the greatest impact wouldn’t come from individual containers, but from places where large numbers of people gather. Stadiums and events use hundreds of thousands of cups in a single day. That’s where we could really make a difference.”
“Right from the start, one question was central: how do we ensure that reusing feels just as natural as disposing of items? That’s why we integrated our system as fully as possible into existing user flows, such as payments and access controls. Supporters don’t need to learn anything new. Everything feels intuitive. And it’s precisely that ease of use that makes all the difference.”
"Not complex technology, but a clever system"
What makes Borro different from other solutions?
“We have radically simplified the process of reusing cups. Instead of expensive RFID chips or complex infrastructure, we use unique QR codes on each cup. This keeps the system affordable, simple to roll out and easy to scale up.
For organisers, this means no major investment is required. For visitors, there are no additional barriers. And the results speak for themselves: return rates of over 90 per cent.
“What’s more, Borro is more than just a product. We’ve designed a complete ecosystem in which supporters, bar staff and organisers all enjoy a seamless experience. This means that circularity isn’t an extra effort, but a natural part of the event.”
“We have radically simplified the process of reusing cups. Instead of expensive RFID chips or complex infrastructure, we use unique QR codes on each cup. This keeps the system affordable, simple to roll out and easy to scale up.
For organisers, this means no major investment is required. For visitors, there are no additional barriers. And the results speak for themselves: return rates of over 90 per cent.
“What’s more, Borro is more than just a product. We’ve designed a complete ecosystem in which supporters, bar staff and organisers all enjoy a seamless experience. This means that circularity isn’t an extra effort, but a natural part of the event.”
"The biggest benefit is that reuse is becoming the new norm"
What impact are you seeing today?
“Every month, we’re already avoiding the use of more than 250,000 disposable cups. That’s a huge amount of plastic that no longer ends up as waste.”
“But perhaps even more important is the change in behaviour we are seeing. People are realising that acting sustainably requires hardly any effort. As a result, the norm is shifting. Reuse feels like the natural thing to do, whilst single-use items seem less and less logical. Ultimately, that is the greatest impact we want to achieve.”
“Every month, we’re already avoiding the use of more than 250,000 disposable cups. That’s a huge amount of plastic that no longer ends up as waste.”
“But perhaps even more important is the change in behaviour we are seeing. People are realising that acting sustainably requires hardly any effort. As a result, the norm is shifting. Reuse feels like the natural thing to do, whilst single-use items seem less and less logical. Ultimately, that is the greatest impact we want to achieve.”
"We are building the financial infrastructure for reuse"
What does the future hold?
“In Belgium, we are now active with various major clubs and events. At the same time, we are continuing our international expansion, with activities in the Netherlands, Germany and as part of the PSG Lab in Paris. We find it inspiring not only to enter new markets, but also to explore new settings, such as festivals, concert halls and theme parks.
“Our ambition goes even further. We want to become the financial infrastructure behind reuse: a universal system that organisers, cities and consumers can easily connect to. So that reuse becomes just as commonplace everywhere.”
“In Belgium, we are now active with various major clubs and events. At the same time, we are continuing our international expansion, with activities in the Netherlands, Germany and as part of the PSG Lab in Paris. We find it inspiring not only to enter new markets, but also to explore new settings, such as festivals, concert halls and theme parks.
“Our ambition goes even further. We want to become the financial infrastructure behind reuse: a universal system that organisers, cities and consumers can easily connect to. So that reuse becomes just as commonplace everywhere.”
Recognition for system innovation
The fact that Borro won a Henry van de Velde Award last year was a significant endorsement for the team. Not only of the sustainable impact of their solution, but also of the strength of the design behind the system.
“This recognition is particularly valuable because it rewards not only sustainability, but also product and system innovation. When I was a student, I once won the OVAM Ecodesign Award for my ideas on circular design. Today, it feels special to receive recognition as a team for a solution that is not only a good idea, but also works on a large scale and makes a real impact.”
Borro thus demonstrates that circular design goes beyond simply developing a sustainable product. By combining technology, ease of use and smart system architecture, they make reuse feasible on a large scale. And it is precisely for this reason that there is a growing likelihood that reusable cups will soon no longer be the exception, but the norm.
Borro makes the reuse of drinking cups at large events effortless and scalable, through a smart digital return system that eliminates the need for millions of disposable cups.
Last year, this won them the Henry van de Velde Awards, presented by the Flanders District of Creativity. We asked them about their future plans for their smart innovation.
“This recognition is particularly valuable because it rewards not only sustainability, but also product and system innovation. When I was a student, I once won the OVAM Ecodesign Award for my ideas on circular design. Today, it feels special to receive recognition as a team for a solution that is not only a good idea, but also works on a large scale and makes a real impact.”
Borro thus demonstrates that circular design goes beyond simply developing a sustainable product. By combining technology, ease of use and smart system architecture, they make reuse feasible on a large scale. And it is precisely for this reason that there is a growing likelihood that reusable cups will soon no longer be the exception, but the norm.
Borro makes the reuse of drinking cups at large events effortless and scalable, through a smart digital return system that eliminates the need for millions of disposable cups.
Last year, this won them the Henry van de Velde Awards, presented by the Flanders District of Creativity. We asked them about their future plans for their smart innovation.
