Climate Pledge Arena Embraces Bold Reuse’s Sustainable Cup Solution
Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena is making another significant environmental stride by introducing a reusable cup program in partnership with Portland-based startup Bold Reuse. Starting this Saturday at the Seattle Storm WNBA game, fans will experience a new approach to beverage consumption that aligns with the arena’s commitment to sustainability. This initiative replaces the venue’s previously used recyclable aluminum cups with durable, reusable alternatives that can be returned to collection bins strategically placed throughout the stadium. Once collected, Bold Reuse professionally sanitizes these cups and returns them to the arena for future use, creating a closed-loop system that dramatically reduces waste. This program will extend across all events at the venue, from Seattle Kraken hockey games to concerts and other entertainment offerings, representing a comprehensive approach to waste reduction in a high-volume setting.
The reusable cup program builds upon Climate Pledge Arena’s already impressive environmental credentials. In 2023, the venue achieved a remarkable milestone by becoming the first sports stadium globally to receive Zero Carbon certification from a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting sustainable building practices. The arena’s name itself reflects its environmental mission, as it bears the name of The Climate Pledge, an initiative co-founded by Amazon and Global Optimism that challenges corporations worldwide to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2040. By implementing the Bold Reuse cup program, the arena further demonstrates its commitment to these principles, offering a tangible example of sustainable practices that can be implemented at scale in public venues. This initiative represents not just a change in cups, but a shift in mindset about how large venues can operate more responsibly while still delivering exceptional experiences to thousands of visitors.
Bold Reuse brings significant experience to this partnership, having evolved from humble beginnings to become a leader in the reusable container industry. The company initially launched as GO Box in 2011, focusing on providing reusable takeout containers to food service establishments. Current CEO Jocelyn Quarrell acquired the business in 2018 and rebranded it to Bold Reuse four years later, expanding its vision and scope. The company’s recent expansion into Seattle in February 2024 included opening a substantial 9,000-square-foot dishwashing facility in the city’s Chinatown-International District, creating the infrastructure necessary to support large-scale reusable programs like the one at Climate Pledge Arena. This local presence ensures that the environmental benefits of the program aren’t undermined by transportation emissions, while also creating new jobs and economic opportunities within the Seattle community.
Innovation continues to drive Bold Reuse’s approach to sustainability. In June, the company launched a cutting-edge pilot program in collaboration with material science company Avery Dennison that implements RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification) technology to track the entire lifecycle of reusable cups. This two-month pilot, active at the company’s Portland wash hub and two of the city’s major sports venues—Moda Center and Providence Park—allows precise monitoring of cups from distribution and return through wash cycles and eventually to end-of-life. This technology represents the next frontier in reusable systems, providing valuable data that can help optimize operations, reduce loss rates, and quantify environmental impact with greater precision. By embracing such advanced tracking systems, Bold Reuse demonstrates that sustainability initiatives can be both environmentally beneficial and technologically sophisticated.
The company’s momentum extends beyond Seattle, with Bold Reuse recently announcing a partnership with the Kansas City Chiefs—marking the first NFL team to implement reusable cups stadium-wide for all events. This expansion demonstrates the growing acceptance of reusable systems in major sports venues across the country, suggesting a potential tipping point for such initiatives in the sports and entertainment industry. While Bold Reuse continues to grow its presence, other companies are also active in the reusable cup space in Seattle. Minnesota-based r.World, for example, provides reusable cups for several local venues, including Woodland Park Zoo’s ZooTunes concert events, SIFF Cinema Downtown (the former Cinerama movie theater), and WAMU Theater, showing that the movement toward reusable solutions is gaining momentum across multiple providers and venues.
The introduction of Bold Reuse cups at Climate Pledge Arena represents more than just an operational change—it’s a visible demonstration of sustainable values that thousands of attendees will experience firsthand. When fans attend games, concerts, and other events, they’ll not only enjoy the entertainment but also participate in an environmental solution by simply returning their cups to collection bins. This hands-on involvement creates an opportunity for environmental education and awareness that extends beyond the arena walls as attendees consider how similar principles might apply to other aspects of their lives. As venues like Climate Pledge Arena lead by example, they normalize sustainable practices for both businesses and consumers, potentially accelerating broader adoption of reusable systems. In a world increasingly concerned about waste and climate impact, these practical solutions demonstrate that meaningful environmental progress is possible even in large-scale entertainment settings serving thousands of people daily.
