Reusable Means One, Not Twelve

Graphics by Anika Dua

Chances are, if you’ve been walking around campus you’ve seen at least 15 people carrying a Stanley cup. And no, I don’t mean the one awarded to each year’s NHL champion, I mean those huge, handheld 40-ounce tumblers with a straw that everyone seems to have.

Across the US, people are spending hundreds on collecting these cups. I know you’ve seen them all over TikTok, with people showing off their collections in tons of different color combinations and designs.

Over the years, there has been a shift towards making simple switches in favor of being more sustainable and one of the easiest ways is by purchasing a reusable water bottle. Now that Hydro Flasks are seemingly out of the spotlight, the Stanley cup has taken over and it’s been a frenzy of overconsumption.

The frenzy was on full display when videos of people camping overnight in hopes of snagging a limited edition “Stanley + Starbucks” collaboration at Target stores went viral.

This defeats the entire purpose of having a reusable water bottle…which is to be more eco-friendly. Who needs 12 of the same type of bottle? People can argue all they want but truly, all you need is one.

That said, this isn’t all on the consumers either. Stanley has made a point in doing special drops and limited edition colorways, sparking a sense of urgency for people to impulsively make purchases to add to their collections. Companies themselves are leaning into this because it’s increasing their revenue significantly, and social media has only fueled the manufactured need for people to continue buying more because we’ve gotten so used to people sharing their purchases and opinions online. If others think that many people have something that they don’t, of course they’ll feel as if they’re not “in” on the trend, and probably some FOMO too.

Trends come and go, and more likely than not, in the next year or so there’s going to be a new on-trend water bottle everyone will move on to. When that happens, what are you going to do with the several bottles you accumulated? Instead, find one you personally like and stick with it, or better yet, use what you already have. If people truly care about being sustainable, the kind of reusable bottle you have won’t matter to them anyway.