The worldwide food safety regulations do not recommend the utilization of recycled plastic for

food packaging. The main reason is due to the fact that recycled plastic poses a threat of

contaminated food from non-food safe chemicals that the plastics are exposed to during the

recycling process. Therefore, while researching for the perfect material for making KeepCups it

is important that one selects a material that guarantees consumers of their health safety. Among

the most appropriate materials for KeepCups manufacture is polyethylene.

Polyethylene is a plastic which is very useful in the manufacturing of KeepCups. The plastic

retrieved from polyethylene is highly resistant from fatigue which makes it even more important

for KeepCup manufacture as it is durable1. Although there has been a war against plastic,

polypropylene is the most disposable and recyclable plastic which means that its impact on the

environment can be minimized to an absolute level through recycling. Polyethylene provides

longevity and multiple instances of utilization. Among other advantages of this type of plastic is

weight. Despite the plastic being unbreakable, it is lightweight which makes it portable. Apart

from customers' ability to carry it around with ease, cups made from polyethylene have a lower

freight cost due to their lightweight. Other advantages of plastic over any other form of material

is that it minimizes waste on the factory floor due to its low embodied energy and it is stackable

which makes its storage more manageable. The most important advantage of plastic is that it is

readily recyclable.

Development of polyethylene involves a complex process that may be overwhelming to a lot of

people. Instead of focusing on the manufacturing process of polyethylene, it is advisable to buy it

from local manufacturers. This will ease the process of accessing the material and only leave the

1 KeepCup. "Made To Last | KeepCup Materials, Manufacturing & More | KeepCup." KeepCup | Reusable Coffee
Cups. Accessed February 28, 2019. https://au.keepcup.com/made-to-last?
countryNameChange=au&countryChangeType=auto.
individual to worry about manufacturing the KeepCups. There are various companies that

produce and distribute polyethylene, for example, Snetor.

Polyethylene has been used as the lining for the KeepCups for the past years. It is reported that

polyethylene makes coffee taste better than polystyrene lining that is used in disposable cups.

KeepCup colors vary to fit the consumers' preferences. Bold, bright, and funky colors have been

reported to influence the purchasing decision of some customers. KeepCups are the kind of

products that encourage sustainable consumption by not only using eco-friendly products but

also by promoting colorful products. At the completion of a KeepCup's life, the parts of the cup

can be recycled.

Apart from polyethylene, there are other materials that can be used to manufacture KeepCups.

These include the likes of glass, silicone, and cork all of which are recyclable. The tampered

glass is extracted from soda lime, cork is extracted from trees, and silicone is extracted from

sand2. All the materials used to manufacture KeepCups guarantee the consumers of durability,

recyclability, and precision in terms of design.

Since the goal of this study is to establish the factors that contribute to consumers purchasing

KeepCups, the following questions were answered:

a) What influences customers to purchase KeepCups?

b) Does the preservation of the environment contribute to customers purchasing KeepCups?
c) Do the customers understand and act to persuasions for them to use KeepCups?

A quantitative method was used to seek answers to the above questions. To determine the factors

that impact the buying behavior of the customers, questionnaires were conducted. Quantitative

2 KeepCup. "Made To Last | KeepCup Materials, Manufacturing & More | KeepCup." KeepCup | Reusable Coffee
Cups. Accessed February 28, 2019. https://au.keepcup.com/made-to-last?
countryNameChange=au&countryChangeType=auto.
research is one of the most significant strategies used for research. Therefore, questionnaires are

a part of a deductive approach as its framework exists from formulating questions. Limited time

contributed to the option of the cross-sectional time horizon for the study. The research was

conducted from the context of the KeepCup's current users to determine the factors that lead to

the consumer's choice of either purchasing or not purchasing the product. Positive and negative

attitudes toward the idea of KeepCup's sustainable consumption were recorded.

Due to the factor of time, most of the information concerning the theoretical framework was

acquired from secondary sources such as books, websites, and journals. The source of primary

data was the already formulated questionnaire. Questionnaires were distributed via online

channels to the consumers and resulted in more than 150 responses. These results were satisfying

and realistic since Facebook alone consists of more than 1000 individuals who use the product.

The time limit of the questionnaire was extended by one week to grant access to individuals who

were unable to access it on the first day. Response to the questionnaire was voluntary.

The method used for the study was convenience sampling. Random samples were selected to

provide an equal chance of expression to all consumers. Convenience sampling was selected as it

was simply accessible for the study by the virtue of its accessibility. Convenience sampling was

supplemented with self-selection sampling in which "individuals themselves indicate their will of

becoming part of the research."3 The two sampling method were combined during the

distribution of the questionnaire online. There was no limitation based on the nationality of the

respondents as social media networks are international. Questionnaires enhance the speed and

diversity of response even though they may be challenged by an uncertainty of the number of the

respondents.

3 Paju, Kristiina. "Influencing sustainable consumption: a case of KeepCup." (2015).

The questionnaire was designed as a self-completion questionnaire in surveymonkey.com.

Surveymonkey was the best option as it offered cheaper and time-saving administration of the

questionnaire. However, the site also posed a challenge of inadequate responses and access by

anonymous respondents. The contents of the questionnaire aimed at assisting respondents to

elaborate on their views towards the KeepCup which resulted in an interesting and quality

feedback on the study topic. After the collection of questionnaire results, the tri-component

attitude model was utilized to determine the cognitive and effective parts of the respondents.

The results of the research were as follows:

a) Most of the prospective customers purchase a KeepCup due to its design and

convenience to heavy coffee drinkers.

b) The ecological value of the KeepCup differs from an individual to the other. Half of the

respondents suggested that whoever buys a KeepUp is a responsible one while the other

half was disapproved the KeepCup as an eco-friendly product.

c) Majority of the respondents expressed high levels of persuasion knowledge in their

responses.

The results of the study in some way compared to the results of the study carried out by Paju

Kristiina. In her research, Kristiina deduced that the design of the KeepCup influences the

consumers' decision to purchase the product4. The topic on sustainable consumption is however

not closed to further research. It is a field that arises different feeling from different people across

the world. Therefore, if the study is carried out on a global scale, a more precise result may be

obtained.

4 Paju, Kristiina. "Influencing sustainable consumption: a case of KeepCup." (2015).

KeepCup. "Made To Last | KeepCup Materials, Manufacturing & More | KeepCup." KeepCup |

Reusable Coffee Cups. Accessed February 28, 2019. https://au.keepcup.com/made-to-last?

countryNameChange=au&countryChangeType=auto.

Paju, Kristiina. "Influencing sustainable consumption: a case of KeepCup." (2015).