![]() ![]() In 2010, the brand pledged that 100% of their cups would be recyclable or reusable by 2015. Human behavior and failed technology, however, seemed to keep their lofty goals just of reach. Starbucks is trying to change that.Īctually, Starbucks has been trying to change that for some time. It takes just one cup about 20 years to decompose in a landfill. Unfortunately, because most of these single-use cups are coated with a thin layer of plastic to keep the cardboard from getting soggy, many are not recyclable. About 600 billion are distributed around the world, and Starbucks accounts for about 1% of these, or 6 billion. Each year, 20 million trees are cut down and 12 billion gallons of water are used to make these types of cups. landfills every year and more than half of these are paper cups. Today, America sends more than 100 billion throw-away cups to U.S. ![]() ![]() The Environmental Footprint of Disposable Coffee Cups The coffee conglomerate kept its search up for better sustainable practices and continues to look for a way to make recycling or reuse a larger part of everyday life. It’s estimated that only 2.8% of the coffee chain’s customers brought in their own cups.ĭespite the limited use, these efforts kept over 105 million disposable cups from making it to a landfill. Despite this program, which continued until COVID-19 struck, very few of their guests took them up on the savings and opportunity to limit waste. Customers simply use their own cup and get a 10-cent discount. Over 30 years ago, Starbucks presented the 10-cent reusable cup discount. Despite some setbacks, they have continued to put procedures in place designed to protect the planet and the living creatures that inhabit it. Infrastructure has, of course, its limitations, some of which prohibited the mega-brand from instituting desired environmentally sound protocol. Making reusability the only option will make Starbucks the kind of leader that other companies relying on throwaway plastic will need to find a way to follow.Starbucks has always been known as a company that prizes sustainable practices. While this is a great indication of where the company wants to go, there are still tens of thousands of Starbucks stores handing out billions of throwaway cups each year. Ultimately, it is not enough to offer a reusable program in only some countries, Starbucks must move away from disposable cups and toward reuse across its locations worldwide. Incentivizing reuse and making it easier for people to embrace will help to improve the plastic pollution crisis that companies like Starbucks contribute to. “Starbucks is starting to show the kind of leadership we need to see from a company of its size to move away from disposability and toward innovative reusable programs. In response to Starbucks’ announcement, Greenpeace USA Oceans Campaign Director John Hocevar said: Starbucks recently announced a similar initiative to shift entirely toward reusables in South Korea. An initial trial will begin in the U.K., France, and Germany in the coming months.Ĭommenting on the news, Starbucks EMEA President Duncan Moir said: “While we have made great strides in reducing the number of single use paper cups that leave our stores there is more to be done and we must make reusability the only option, long term.” Washington, DC – Starbucks announced today that it will offer its reusable Cup-Share program in all of its 3,840 stores in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa by 2025 as it works to reduce single-use waste. ![]()
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