Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle is switching to a reusable cup program facilitated by Bold Reuse, a Portland-based startup, in the venue’s ongoing bid to eliminate waste at sports and entertainment events.
The new cups will debut Saturday during the Seattle Storm WNBA game. Fans will receive their drinks in durable cups that can be returned to collection bins throughout the stadium. The cups are collected, professionally sanitized and returned by Bold Reuse.
They will be used at all Climate Pledge Arena events, from Kraken hockey games to concerts and more, replacing the arena’s use of recyclable aluminum cups.
Climate Pledge Arena has received accolades for its environmental efforts, and in 2023 became the first sports stadium in the world to receive Zero Carbon certification from a nonprofit promoting sustainable buildings.
The arena is named after The Climate Pledge, an initiative founded by Amazon and Global Optimism asking global corporations to become net zero carbon by 2040.
Bold Reuse initially launched as GO Box in 2011, providing reusable takeout containers. Co-founder and CEO Jocelyn Quarrell acquired the business in 2018, and rebranded it four years later. The company expanded into Seattle in February 2024 and opened a 9,000-square-feet dishwashing facility in the city’s Chinatown-International District.
Bold Reuse launched a pilot program with material science company Avery Dennison in June in which RFID tags are being implemented to track the entire lifecycle of reusable cups — from distribution and return to wash cycles and end-of-life.
The two-month pilot was live at the company’s Portland wash hub as well as two of the city’s sports venues: Moda Center and Providence Park.
Earlier this month, Bold Reuse announced a new partnership with the Kansas City Chiefs — the first NFL team to offer reusable cups stadium-wide for every event.
Reusable cups from Minnesota-based r.World are used at Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo ZooTunes concert events; SIFF Cinema Downtown, the former Cinerama movie theater; and WAMU Theater.
