Here’s some good news. Vancouver’s largest health food and supplement store Body Energy Club (BEC) is launching a new sustainable grab-and-go cup to reduce its environmental impact, joining the movement toward a zero-waste future. 

“Body Energy Club has always been committed to doing its part to help the environment by implementing new programs to help reduce waste and improve our sustainable practices. From recycling programs to reusable cups, our goal is to introduce ways for every member of our community to participate, regardless of how they shop with us,” says Founder and CEO Dominick Tousignant. 

In partnership with Sharewares, (a local Vancouver platform that facilitates reusable cups that are rented, returned, sanitized to a food-safe level, and redistributed to retailers) BEC soft-launched a reusable cup program on Earth Day 2022. This grab-and-go cup borrowing service is a convenient and accessible way to end the world’s single-use garbage crisis.

Statistically speaking, “In 2018, 1.1 billion single-use items were thrown away into Metro Vancouver’s landfills and this has only been amplified during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of these items end up leaching toxins, chemicals, and microplastics into our environment,” writes Sharewares. 

BEC thinks it is time for change and invites its customers to join the reusable movement.  It is a crucial step in supporting a circular, zero-waste economy that supports the well-being of Vancouver while walking the talk among Canadian food retailers. 

This innovative cup-sharing program will further reduce plastic waste as instead of paying the $0.25 cent city-imposed cup fee, BEC customers can borrow a reusable cup for a $3 deposit and enjoy a waste-free drink.

The best part? Returning the cup and getting the deposit back is as easy as downloading the Sharewares app and dropping all the borrowed reusable cups in the nearest bin. To learn more, BEC customers can simply stop by the East 3rd Vancouver location and ask the team how the new Cup Sharing program works! BEC plans to add more convenient store locations over the coming months.