Berry’s SuperCup Takes Reusable Role at Rugby World Cup

Berry Global’s SuperCup reusable plastic cup has helped spectators at this year’s Rugby World Cup in France enjoy their favourite beverages while enabling organisers to comply with the country’s ban on single-use plastic cups. Berry has partnered with InfinyCup, a family-owned company specialising in reusable food and beverage tableware for big events, to provide drinking cups for the stadiums in Bordeaux and Lille.

InfinyCup’s extensive network and expertise, particularly in the world of sports, led to it being invited to present a solution for the Rugby World Cup. For this event, the company joined with Berry Global and Stratus, a producer of In-Mould Labelling, to offer customised versions of the Berry reusable plastic SuperCup. 

SuperCup has a beer-like design and is at least 30% lighter than conventional reusable plastic beer cups available on the market. At the same time, the cups are exceptionally sturdy and built to last. Crafted from recyclable polypropylene (PP), the SuperCup not only promotes reuse, but also enables easy recycling after its useful life where the appropriate systems exist. 

All reusable drinking cups within the SuperCup range are dishwasher safe, helping to help ensure effortless cleaning. Even after multiple uses, they maintain their high quality and pleasant feel. The cups are also designed for efficiency, featuring an inner stacking rim that allows them to be stacked neatly.

The cups were imprinted with the official Rugby World Cup tournament logo, making them very popular among fans, as Bruno Marconnet of InfinyCup, explained: 

“The SuperCup drinking cups are designed for practical use during the event, but now they have also become a collector's item for the attending rugby fans. Many of them take the cups home as souvenirs. Others take advantage of the option to return them to the stadium and cash in their deposit, in which case the cups will be washed and ready for the next game.” 

The successful partnership between InfinyCup and Berry at the Rugby World Cup demonstrates how the event and food service industry can proactively transition from single-use packaging to reusable plastic cups. By embracing lightweight, reusable solutions, companies can reduce their consumption of virgin materials and comply with legislation regarding single-use packaging.

The close collaboration between the two companies was also evidenced by the speed in which the project was completed, with InfinyCup receiving its signed contract to supply cups for the event in April, only around four months before the tournament kicked off at the beginning of September.

"We required a partner capable of rapid customisation and large-scale production. Berry fit the bill perfectly,” said Bruno Marconnet. “After initial discussions, we established a sense of trust, and we visited their facility for further detailed talks. Trust proved to be the decisive factor that facilitated flawless collaboration and the punctual delivery of top-quality products. 

 "I hope we get the chance to work on another project with Berry sometime again soon,” he concluded. “This was a big deal for our first outing, and it sets a great precedent for future collaboration.” 

Learn more about Berry’s reusable plastic products and solutions for beverage and  food service packaging.