Starbucks announced a new goal to provide a reusable cup “for every visit” by 2025.
“By the end of next year, customers will be able to use their own personal reusable cup for every Starbucks visit in the U.S. and Canada — including in cafe, drive-thru, and mobile order and pay,” a press release from the coffee giant read. While the company is working to move customers toward bringing their cups to fill up, Starbucks will continue to offer single-use cups for those who need one.
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Among the new business practices was a cup borrowing program. The program would allow people to leave cups behind for the store to clean professionally. A pilot program of the proposal saw success in Seattle during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to the launch of similar trials in Japan, Singapore, and the United Kingdom.
Starbucks said it was also considering an idea tested in South Korea to replace single-use cups with reusable ones. The company tested this model in 16 stores in the country, preventing the use of an estimated 200,000 disposable cups.
The coffee giant’s final strategy was to encourage customers to bring their own cups or place an order to have in-store. It said in its press release that it would consider offering up to 50 cents off an order to those who used their own cup, something a store in Shanghai is currently trying out.
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“We set a bold aspiration to become a resource positive company — to store more carbon than we emit, to eliminate waste, and to conserve and replenish more freshwater than we use,” Chief Sustainability Officer Michael Kobori said. “This aspiration included setting ambitious 2030 targets to cut our carbon, water, and waste footprints in half.”
In the meantime, Starbucks plans to continue upping the recycled content in their disposable cups.
Editor’s note: A previous version of this story alluded to Starbucks eliminating use of its paper cups by 2025. The story has now been updated to clarify that single-use cups will still be available, but the company will be encouraging customers to have a reusable cup.
