In the future, Starbucks customers will still receive the iconic mermaid logo, but they will no longer use disposable paper cups. From August 14th to October 22nd of this year, 12 Starbucks locations in Napa and Petaluma, California, are piloting a reusable cup program. While reusable cups will be provided, customers can also bring their own cups and receive discounts.
The Associated Press reported that Starbucks ultimately plans to completely stop using disposable paper cups by 2030 and promote a recycling cup rental service globally.
Say goodbye to disposable paper cups in 2030
According to The Messenger, Americans use approximately 130 billion disposable cups annually, approximately 50 billion of which are coffee cups. Starbucks' disposable cups have become a fixture of consumers' lives, but in a few years, the company will completely phase them out. In fact, the Associated Press reported that Starbucks announced as early as 2008 that it hoped all of its cups would be recyclable or reusable by 2015, but this goal remains elusive.
Starbucks noted that, recognizing the circular economy as the future, it is gradually phasing out single-use plastics, supporting the use of recycled materials, and promoting recycling. Starbucks plans to expand its reusable cup service to more locations and is learning how to encourage customers to switch from disposable takeout cups to reusable cups in a convenient, easy, and fun way. Starbucks aims to halve its carbon footprint, water use, and waste by 2030.
Starbucks launches reusable cup service in the US
Starbucks has been actively promoting its "Borrow a Cup" recycling service in recent years. A trial is currently underway in select locations across the United States. Customers who forget their cups can borrow a Starbucks recycling cup and receive a $1 discount upon returning it. The company will collaborate with TURN Systems, a company specializing in recycling systems, to better understand customer cup return behavior.
Starbucks Chief Sustainability Officer Michael Kobori said that in the future, the cups will simply be converted from paper to reusable, recycled cups, which will still have the classic Starbucks logo printed on them.
In addition, Starbucks has also partnered with the Circular Living Lab at Arizona State University to select cups that are too damaged to be reused and send them to the lab for recycling. After being ground, melted and extruded into long strips of plastic, they can be made into recycling bins for recycled cups.
This environmentally friendly strategy has been met with skepticism from some customers. According to Delish, in addition to concerns about the hygiene of the reusable cups, some customers find them inconvenient. While the reusable cup service may work in a few metropolitan areas, it may not be widely adopted outside of these cities.
In addition, some customers also said that collecting, transporting and cleaning recycled cups is actually more harmful to the environment than making and transporting new paper cups. However, some supporters believe that this policy can protect the environment and should have been implemented long ago.
References:
*Associated Press (September 15, 2023), Citing sustainability, Starbucks wants to overhaul its iconic cup. Will customers go along?
*Delish (September 16, 2023), Starbucks Plans To Stop Using Disposable Cups By 2030
*kron4 (August 16, 2023), Starbucks no longer offering disposable cups at these North Bay locations
*The Messenger (September 16, 2023), The Beginning of the End of Starbucks Paper Cups?
Source: Environmental Information Center
