Whether it’s the controversial holiday cup or the original classic, the iconic Starbucks paper cup could soon be a thing of the past — or it could be more expensive — as the coffee giant explores reusable options. On Tuesday, the company announced that Starbucks is moving away from single-use plastic and paper and piloting reusable cup programs in six markets.
Starbucks has already made changes to become a more sustainable brand, such as phasing out plastic straws in favor of a “sip lid” for cold beverages. Now, the coffee chain wants to reduce its use of paper cups or even phase them out entirely.
"We have a bold long-term sustainability vision and ambitious goals for 2030,” said Starbucks president and CEO Kevin Johnson. “Starbucks partners around the world are passionate about protecting our planet and are at the very center of driving the innovation that enables us to give more than we take from the planet.”
By the end of next year, customers will be allowed to use their own reusable cups in every store location in the United States and Canada. And by 2025, the company hopes to give “customers easy access to a personal or Starbucks provided reusable to-go cup for every visit,” the company said.
Starbucks already gives customers a 10-cent discount if they bring in a reusable cup. This has been part of the company’s policy since 1980. In some locations, cafes will test different financial incentives, including a discount of up to 50 cents. Given the recent increase in prices at Starbucks, a discount may be enough of an incentive for customers to use a reusable cup.
Disposable lids and cups produce 40% of Starbucks’s packaging waste, according to CNBC. The coffee giant, which has a goal of reducing waste by 50% by 2030, also said it was testing multiple programs for cutting down on single-use cups in stores around the world.
These new programs include Borrow-A-Cup, where customers order a drink in a reusable cup and return it to the store in exchange for a $1 deposit to be returned once the cup is safely back in a Starbucks store.
There’s also a 100% reusable operating model, which would eliminate single-use cups entirely. Starbucks is even looking into cup-washing stations that would allow customers to have a personal cup washed before ordering coffee.
If you don’t want to wait for Starbucks' annual Red Cup promotion to get your hands on a reusable tumbler, check out these six reusable coffee cups.