In the family of utensils, the reusable cup is a distant cousin of the three remaining screws of an Ikea piece of furniture already assembled: we didn’t necessarily want it, and we don’t really know what to do with it. However, unlike its Swedish counterparts, the festival or concert goblet has a ready-made destiny: to be brought back to the refreshment bar in order to recover the euro from the deposit. But while it would be logical – and profitable – to bring them back, not all cups fit in the nest, and many end up sadly abandoned on the ground or gathering dust in one of our shelves.
In 2017, the festival Stopovers, in Saint-Nazaire, calculated that out of 120,000 reusable cups ordered, 30,000 had “disappeared” – neither returned to the deposit nor collected on the ground, i.e. 25%. A percentage close to the estimates of Emmanuel Torrent, manager of EcoCup, leader in plastic glasses in events: “In general, 30% of people who participate in an event bring back their glass as a souvenir. »
Sociology of the goblet
What is 1 euro deposit worth against a heart vibrating with melancholy? “Tumblers have purely sentimental value. I keep the one from my first Humanity Day when the plastic has peeled off, smiles Malika, 29, having recognized herself in our call for testimonials when her cupboards are overflowing with multicolored glasses. Many remind me of memories with relatives, for example that of my last Rugby Seven tournament. I think I will even take him to the Ehpad. »
Among all the things that can be brought home, the cup is not insignificant, according to Robert Zuili, a psychologist specializing in emotions: “It is an object associated with alcohol, at festive times *. It illustrates the atmosphere of the festival or concert well, which makes it particularly conducive to nostalgia. And it’s a convivial object, which can be shared, which has a real function, accumulating them is not seen as waste”.
“The souvenir object par excellence”
Another advantage which explains its transformation into giveaway improvised: its price. Daniel, 51, notes the unbeatable advantage: “Items sold at merchandising stands are way too expensive. Between 50 euros for a t-shirt – sometimes of poor quality – and 2 euros for a cup that I will reuse, my choice is quickly made. Especially after buying the increasingly expensive concert tickets too! »
“It’s the souvenir object par excellence, the one you make sure to keep, even if you don’t use it once you get home,” compliments Jérémie Peltier, director of studies at the Jean-Jaurès Foundation and author of The party is over ? (ed. of the Observatory, 2021). In short, it is a cuddly object”. The goblet has even extended its influence, continues the specialist: “It is no longer only personalized for festivals or concerts, but also for weddings”. Some have made real collections, like Laurent, 57, “who can boast of having certainly one of the most important collections”, with more than 500 different ones.
And this gobletmania offers, paradoxically, a financial interest in not looking for his deposit. “I always keep the glasses and then put them up for sale on Vinted. It gives pleasure to people who could not come in addition to making a little money, ”explains Juliette, 27 years old. A technique even more effective than picking up cups on the floor to get the most out of the deposit. “I’ve already made more than 30 euros in a festival”, skull Sophie, who spent everything again… on beer.
Between second life and laziness
Some glasses live a second youth in their new hosts. “When I receive, everyone can choose their own and keep it for the evening,” says Camille, 31. Malika, she uses her cups every day: “Given my legendary ability, it’s not completely stupid to have plastic glasses. »
But others quickly fall into the dustbin or into oblivion, in the depths of a cupboard, because many are in reality unwanted. “I don’t bring my cup back just because I’m lazy to queue,” admits Clémence, in her thirties. It must be said that festivals and concerts offer a moment of decompression where you think of something other than bringing back your luggage, excuse Jérémie Peltier. The expert continues: “We also say to ourselves that we are not going to ” stoop to that ”. There is something related to self-esteem. A little music in my head that says: ”I’m not so precarious as to beg for 1 euro””.
A lazy little greener, concedes Julien: “I must have about twenty cups at home, most of them in a cupboard. I am aware that it is not very green, but good. »
Should the cup become ugly again?
So much so that the primary meaning of measurement – avoiding waste and the production of plastic – tends to disappear. If the reusable cup was the ecological Holy Grail at the beginning of the 2000s, the object may have to go back down in range for the good of the planet. Too bad for the less financial manna, some festivals are ready to take the plunge. This is particularly the case of the Francofolies de La Rochelle, which observed that the management of plastic cups “was anything but ecological” and no longer distributed them during the 2023 edition.
Another option is to make the cup “ugly” and impersonal. Since 2014, the Vieilles Charrues festival no longer inscribes the year of the edition on its glasses, allowing both to reuse them from year to year but also to “limit the collector effect”, according to Quentin Sibéril, sustainable development project manager of the association, quoted by our colleagues from West France.
Other organizers decide to pool their cups. This is particularly the case for nine festivals in the Loire region this year (Les Kampagn’Arts – Terres du Son – Jazz en Touraine – So Sweet Event – Tours Evénements – La Connexion – Rispost Festival – Nove – Aucard de Tours), first by selling off available stocks, then by creating a cup with the same logo for everyone. It must be said that for it to be ecologically viable, a reusable cup must be used at least 7 times. According to Terres du Son, festival-goers only refill on average 2.5 times per edition…
* Alcohol abuse is dangerous for health