Starbucks Wants To Say Goodbye To Its Iconic Disposable Cups For Good

If you’re one to look forward to Starbucks’ seasonal cups, the bad news is that they might disappear from stores soon, but the good news is that it’s all for a meaningful cause.

The company has acknowledged that while its iconic disposable cups are ubiquitous, they unfortunately represent the downside of a “throwaway society,” especially when chucked into landfills or as litter on the streets.

Now, Michael Kobori, Starbucks’ Chief Sustainability Officer, says the brand is looking to completely eliminate its takeout cups, declaring the move to be “the holy grail” option for becoming more environmentally conscious. 

By 2025, the coffee chain hopes every customer will bring their own mug, or borrow a reusable in-store mug to hold their cuppa. 

According to CNN, by the end of 2023, Starbucks plans to allow all customers in the US and Canada to bring their own personal cups, even if picking up the order via a drive-thru.

In addition, the company is working on expanding its borrow-a-cup program, which allows customers to pay a small deposit for a reusable cup they can return to the store after use. 

“We developed a new cup that had a very low environmental footprint, was lightweight polypropylene, ultimately recyclable, and could replace 100 single-use disposable cups,” said Vice President of Product Experience, Amelia Landers. 

Landers admits the new processes will have to be a seamless experience for customers to want to adopt these environmentally-friendly measures. 

“We know that even the most ardent of sustainability champion customers, they really don’t change their behavior all that easily. Even though they really, really want to,” she explained. 

[via CNN and The Wall Street Journal, cover image via Grand Warszawski / Shutterstock.com]