Start-ups and sustainability — A tale with two tails
Written by Frederick Szydlowski, Co-Founder and CMO of Embargo
Sustainability, environment and social responsibility are trendy words more and more often used in today’s world. The rise of Greta Thunberg to the forefront of environmental activism has been covered by newspapers globally.
Companies have been cleverly using the focus on environment and social sustainability to promote their products and drive business if there is a link, even if far-fetched. Are we at Embargo jumping on the bandwagon with our reusable cups campaign to market Embargo to existing and new users? Absolutely yes, but this is not a bad thing.

BEHAVIOUR vs VALUES
Here is why: The number of global consumers who say they are very concerned about the environment (61%) has increased since 2012 based on a study by National Geographic, but sustainable purchasing behaviour has actually decreased in the biggest markets such as the US, Germany, Japan and China. It seems that values don’t necessarily translate into actual behaviour if there is no personal gain for the consumer. An average consumer wants to get something out of it!
At Embargo we are trying to link the values to actual behaviour by distributing our reusable cups COMPLETELY FOR FREE to draw attention to the carbon footprint issue and reduce (even in small scale) single-use-plastic waste that is still so common in London. At the same time, we hope to directly influence the everyday behaviour in a positive way with the consumer getting something out of it right away — a free cup and discounted coffee. Hereby, we can promote our loyalty and rewards platform with countless coffee shops on it to consumers in London and at the same time reduce the carbon footprint by avoiding plastic/paper coffee cups.
LOYALTY = IMPACT
However, we should be aware that it can take between 20 and 100 uses of a reusable cup to offset its higher greenhouse gas emissions compared to a disposable cup. But this goes exactly hand in hand with what we stand for at Embargo — we reward loyalty to your favourite venues!Show with our FREE bamboo keep cups your loyalty to our planet with every coffee you have — the more you use it the greater the impact.
Show with our FREE bamboo keep cups your loyalty to our planet with every coffee you have — the more you use it the greater the impact.
EACH ONE OF US CAN MAKE A CHANGE
Ultimately, companies spending actual money for a good cause and hopefully changing the behaviour of the consumer while creating value for the company is the best possible outcome that we can hope for. This allows even an early-stage start up without a huge budget to actually contribute to the positive change.
Will our small campaign have a significant impact on the global carbon footprint? Not at all, but change starts with drawing attention to issues and people changing their behaviour step-by-step, day-by-day. If we all contribute to that we can save the planet.
Change starts with drawing attention to issues and people changing their behaviour step-by-step, day-by-day. If we all contribute to that we can save the planet.
That’s why we at Embargo have decided to start the change with us.
Let’s have a sip and start giving a sh*t. NOW.
by Frederick Szydlowski, Co-Founder and CMO of Embargo
PICK UP YOUR CUP
You can pick up a FREE cup this week at the following locations when purchasing a coffee and using Embargo (limited stock):

