Pruncup, an eco-friendly tumbler-sharing startup, piloted a multi-use cup rental service at Jeju Airport for a month in June. In total, 478 Pruncups were rented for an average of 16 cups per day. If the tourists who borrowed the cups used them three times on average during their trip, it reduced the use of more than 1,400 disposable cups.

About 72% of the total renters of the people who borrowed the shared cups were in their 20s and 30s. “When we collected the response of tourists to renting reusable cups, it was projected that people in the MZ generation who are sensitive to environmental issues would be the main users,” said Han Jeong-hui, CEO of Puruncup. She said they were motivated by the fact that they could help protect Jeju’s clean environment by sharing the cups.

They also conducted surveys of tourists using Pruncups. A total of 247 people who participated in the survey rated the experience 4.6 out of 5, and 98% of respondents said they are willing to try the service again. 86% answered that it was very rewarding to practice an eco-friendly lifestyle. The drawback was that there were too few cafes that participated in the system, the lid could not be sealed, and the rental procedure was complicated.

Based on the survey, Pruncup increased the number of participating cafes in Jeju from 23 to 42. It has also boosted the benefits that renters can enjoy, such as a 10% discount on drink prices or one free drink. The rental process has also been simplified. Instead of applying online in advance and paying through account transfer, you can use the QR code to access the service at the rental office, verify your name and phone number, and enter your credit card information. Scanning the QR code allows the automatic refund of your deposit later, so the cups can be returned in an unattended manner. Prucup is preparing a procedure to make QR codes available at the cafes that offer discounts and allow users to return the shared cups there as well.

However, the cup loss rate was relatively high at 11%. Pruncup decided to raise the deposit from 10,000 won to 15,000 won to raise the recovery rate. Users can also borrow a sealable lid optionally for an additional fee of 2,000 won, which accounts for the difficulty washing them.

Until August 21st, the rental and return service of reusable cups will start at Jeju Angel Rental Car in Doryeong-ro, Jeju City, and Jeju Yonggi, a Jeju product store in Ouljangseo-gil, Jeju City. After checking out a cup, you can visit the cafes listed on the map to receive discounts on drinks. Pruncup is a startup that won the 2021 Social Entrepreneur Development Project hosted by the Ministry of Employment and Labor. It is sponsored by the Jeju Regional Office of Hyundai Motor Company, which was impressed with the pilot results.