UW Expands Reusable Cup Program At Alaska Airlines Arena With PepsiCo, Building On Momentum Of Seattle’s Reuse Movement
October 03, 2025 | General, Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball, Gymnastics, Volleyball
SEATTLE – The University of Washington is building on the success of its reusable cup initiative at Alaska Airlines Arena, expanding the program for the 2025-26 Husky basketball, volleyball, and gymnastics seasons. The effort is a collaboration with PepsiCo, Bold Reuse, and Aramark Sports + Entertainment, the food and beverage provider at the arena, and reflects the UW's continued commitment to sustainability and waste reduction.
Now entering its second year, the program has been enhanced to improve both fan experience and environmental impact. Husky fans will enjoy PepsiCo beverages—including Pepsi®, Pepsi® Zero Sugar, Diet Pepsi®, MTN DEW®, Mug® Root Beer, and STARRY®—served in durable, reusable cups. New this year, fans will also receive reusable lids, along with expanded signage and conveniently located cup return bins integrated into existing waste stations throughout the arena, making it even easier to participate.
"Implementing and scaling a reuse system demands collaboration and finding ways to make reuse the convenient and preferred choice for consumers," said Burgess Davis, Chief Sustainability Officer, PepsiCo North America. "This includes helping to impact consumer behaviors that are already comfortable and second-nature – such as using and disposing of single-use cups – and aiming to create the infrastructure so that the reuse consumption experience is easy and enjoyable. That's why pilot programs, such as the reuse initiative we launched with the UW and Bold Reuse last season, are important to see what works and what needs to change. But what's more important is to take those learnings and act on them to show how reuse can be scaled, and that's what I'm most excited to see with this iteration of the program."
Once collected, Bold Reuse will transport the cups to its nearby South Seattle facility, where they will be cleaned, sanitized, and repackaged for use at future events.
This initiative is one of many ways UW Athletics supports the UW Sustainability Action Plan waste reduction goals. By replacing single-use beverage cups with reusables, the program will eliminate thousands of disposable cups over the course of the season—contributing to a measurable reduction in plastic waste.
The collaboration is also aligned with PepsiCo's pep+ (PepsiCo Positive) strategy, which includes reuse as a driver of sustainable packaging. Within its key packaging focus areas, PepsiCo has a global ambition to achieve 97% or greater reusable, recyclable, or compostable (RRC) packaging by design by 2030, with 93% achieved as of 2024.
Bold Reuse brings a strong track record of supporting reuse in Seattle and beyond. In addition to its work with UW Athletics, Bold Reuse powers the reusable cup program at Climate Pledge Arena, the Paramount Theatre, and the Showbox, helping fans across the city reduce waste at sports, concerts, and cultural events. With a reputation for implementing large-scale reuse programs across sports and entertainment venues, Bold Reuse's expansion into collegiate sports at the UW further solidifies Seattle's leadership in driving a culture of reuse.
"PepsiCo has been an incredible partner in advancing reuse at some of the nation's most prominent venues, including Levi's® Stadium, Chase Field, and now the University of Washington," said Heather Watkins, co-founder of Bold Reuse. "Expanding into collegiate sports is an exciting next step that allows us to refine and scale reuse in new environments. By building on what we've learned at professional stadiums, we can bring proven solutions to college athletics and campus events, further demonstrating how reuse can thrive across every level of sports and entertainment."
This initiative is also supported by Reuse Seattle, a citywide program led by Seattle Public Utilities (SPU). Reuse Seattle works to reduce single-use packaging and build scalable reuse systems across the city, with a focus on collaboration between public agencies, businesses, and communities. The partnership with the UW, PepsiCo, Bold Reuse, and Aramark strengthens Seattle's broader reuse ecosystem—demonstrating how collegiate sports can join professional venues in advancing the city's sustainability goals.
Last season's pilot allowed the UW to introduce reusable cups to Husky fans and gather key insights to refine the program. For 2025-26, the UW aims to increase return rates, ensuring the program advances both sustainability goals and fan convenience.
About Washington Athletics
Washington athletic teams have claimed 57 team national championships across 11 different sports, beginning with its first titles in 1923 in men's rowing and women's rifle, and counting its most recent in 2025 (men's rowing). Traditions of Washington Athletics include 320 Olympians and Paralympians, originating The Wave during the third quarter of a 1981 football game, the Huskies nickname adopted in 1922, and the university's iconic Sailgating tradition at what is known as The Greatest Setting in College Football.
About PepsiCo
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated nearly $92 billion in net revenue in 2024, driven by a complementary beverage and convenient foods portfolio that includes Lay's, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker, and SodaStream. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and drinks, including many iconic brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.
Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Beverages and Convenient Foods by Winning with pep+ (PepsiCo Positive). pep+ is our strategic end-to-end transformation that places sustainability at the center of our business strategy, seeking to drive growth and build a stronger, more resilient future for PepsiCo and the communities where we operate. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com, and follow on X (Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn @PepsiCo.
About Bold Reuse
Bold Reuse partners with organizations to integrate reusable packaging into their operations, helping them reduce waste, expand brand visibility, and build customer loyalty. The Portland Trail Blazers, Portland Timbers, Seattle Kraken, Starbucks, KC Current, Chicago Bears, Arizona Diamondbacks, and more have worked with Bold Reuse to implement and scale reuse programs. A women-owned business, Bold Reuse has helped customers divert over 5 million pounds of waste from landfills. Learn more at www.boldreuse.com.
Now entering its second year, the program has been enhanced to improve both fan experience and environmental impact. Husky fans will enjoy PepsiCo beverages—including Pepsi®, Pepsi® Zero Sugar, Diet Pepsi®, MTN DEW®, Mug® Root Beer, and STARRY®—served in durable, reusable cups. New this year, fans will also receive reusable lids, along with expanded signage and conveniently located cup return bins integrated into existing waste stations throughout the arena, making it even easier to participate.
"Implementing and scaling a reuse system demands collaboration and finding ways to make reuse the convenient and preferred choice for consumers," said Burgess Davis, Chief Sustainability Officer, PepsiCo North America. "This includes helping to impact consumer behaviors that are already comfortable and second-nature – such as using and disposing of single-use cups – and aiming to create the infrastructure so that the reuse consumption experience is easy and enjoyable. That's why pilot programs, such as the reuse initiative we launched with the UW and Bold Reuse last season, are important to see what works and what needs to change. But what's more important is to take those learnings and act on them to show how reuse can be scaled, and that's what I'm most excited to see with this iteration of the program."
Once collected, Bold Reuse will transport the cups to its nearby South Seattle facility, where they will be cleaned, sanitized, and repackaged for use at future events.
This initiative is one of many ways UW Athletics supports the UW Sustainability Action Plan waste reduction goals. By replacing single-use beverage cups with reusables, the program will eliminate thousands of disposable cups over the course of the season—contributing to a measurable reduction in plastic waste.
The collaboration is also aligned with PepsiCo's pep+ (PepsiCo Positive) strategy, which includes reuse as a driver of sustainable packaging. Within its key packaging focus areas, PepsiCo has a global ambition to achieve 97% or greater reusable, recyclable, or compostable (RRC) packaging by design by 2030, with 93% achieved as of 2024.
Bold Reuse brings a strong track record of supporting reuse in Seattle and beyond. In addition to its work with UW Athletics, Bold Reuse powers the reusable cup program at Climate Pledge Arena, the Paramount Theatre, and the Showbox, helping fans across the city reduce waste at sports, concerts, and cultural events. With a reputation for implementing large-scale reuse programs across sports and entertainment venues, Bold Reuse's expansion into collegiate sports at the UW further solidifies Seattle's leadership in driving a culture of reuse.
"PepsiCo has been an incredible partner in advancing reuse at some of the nation's most prominent venues, including Levi's® Stadium, Chase Field, and now the University of Washington," said Heather Watkins, co-founder of Bold Reuse. "Expanding into collegiate sports is an exciting next step that allows us to refine and scale reuse in new environments. By building on what we've learned at professional stadiums, we can bring proven solutions to college athletics and campus events, further demonstrating how reuse can thrive across every level of sports and entertainment."
This initiative is also supported by Reuse Seattle, a citywide program led by Seattle Public Utilities (SPU). Reuse Seattle works to reduce single-use packaging and build scalable reuse systems across the city, with a focus on collaboration between public agencies, businesses, and communities. The partnership with the UW, PepsiCo, Bold Reuse, and Aramark strengthens Seattle's broader reuse ecosystem—demonstrating how collegiate sports can join professional venues in advancing the city's sustainability goals.
Last season's pilot allowed the UW to introduce reusable cups to Husky fans and gather key insights to refine the program. For 2025-26, the UW aims to increase return rates, ensuring the program advances both sustainability goals and fan convenience.
About Washington Athletics
Washington athletic teams have claimed 57 team national championships across 11 different sports, beginning with its first titles in 1923 in men's rowing and women's rifle, and counting its most recent in 2025 (men's rowing). Traditions of Washington Athletics include 320 Olympians and Paralympians, originating The Wave during the third quarter of a 1981 football game, the Huskies nickname adopted in 1922, and the university's iconic Sailgating tradition at what is known as The Greatest Setting in College Football.
About PepsiCo
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated nearly $92 billion in net revenue in 2024, driven by a complementary beverage and convenient foods portfolio that includes Lay's, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker, and SodaStream. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and drinks, including many iconic brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.
Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Beverages and Convenient Foods by Winning with pep+ (PepsiCo Positive). pep+ is our strategic end-to-end transformation that places sustainability at the center of our business strategy, seeking to drive growth and build a stronger, more resilient future for PepsiCo and the communities where we operate. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com, and follow on X (Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn @PepsiCo.
About Bold Reuse
Bold Reuse partners with organizations to integrate reusable packaging into their operations, helping them reduce waste, expand brand visibility, and build customer loyalty. The Portland Trail Blazers, Portland Timbers, Seattle Kraken, Starbucks, KC Current, Chicago Bears, Arizona Diamondbacks, and more have worked with Bold Reuse to implement and scale reuse programs. A women-owned business, Bold Reuse has helped customers divert over 5 million pounds of waste from landfills. Learn more at www.boldreuse.com.
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