💰 A single-use plastic cup typically costs only a few hundred to around one thousand VND, while alternatives such as biodegradable cups or other sustainable options are often significantly more expensive. This price difference may seem negligible for an individual drink, but for businesses serving hundreds of customers every day, it quickly adds up to a substantial expense. In a market where many tourism and service providers are still competing on price, adding just a few hundred dong to the cost of each product can mean having to rethink the entire business equation.

📊 Beyond cost considerations, another factor that makes this transition more challenging is consumer behavior. Today’s travelers value speed and convenience more than ever. A coffee grabbed in a hurry before a trip, a drink carried along during a sightseeing journey, or an order placed through a delivery app and received within minutes - all of these have become part of modern consumption patterns. In this context, single-use plastic cups offer what appears to be an almost perfect solution: lightweight, durable, shatter-resistant, easy to transport, and suitable for all takeaway and delivery formats. This convenience has made plastic cups a familiar part of modern tourism and consumer experiences.

🥤 Therefore, when we see a café still using single-use plastic cups, the issue may not simply be a lack of environmental concern. Instead, businesses are often caught between two significant pressures: the desire to reduce plastic waste on one hand, and the realities of operational costs and customer expectations for convenience on the other.

❓❓ In this context, what practical solutions can help make zero waste tourism not just an ideal aspiration, but a viable and realistic approach for both businesses and travelers?

We'd love to hear your thoughts! Leave a comment below and stay tuned as GreenHub continues to explore practical and achievable solutions for zero waste tourism. 🌿