Starbucks redesigns plastic cups for sustainability
Starbucks is launching new cold drink cups designed to reduce plastic use by up to 20%, a move that aligns with the company's broader sustainability goals. These redesigned cups will begin appearing in select locations across the United States and Canada within the month, with a full rollout expected by spring 2025. The new design is not only lighter, saving more than 13.5 million pounds of plastic from landfills annually, but also features raised dots near the bottom to identify cup sizes and a uniform lid size across multiple cup sizes for increased efficiency. This redesign also reportedly requires less water and generates fewer carbon emissions.
The initiative is part of Starbucks' commitment to halve its waste and carbon output by 2030 and make all of its packaging reusable, recyclable, or compostable within the same timeframe. In line with these objectives, the company has been developing the new cup for four years, testing thousands of versions to ensure durability while minimizing material use. Moreover, Starbucks is planning to introduce a reusable cup program at thousands of its stores in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa by the following year, further emphasizing its environmental commitments. Critics, such as Emma Priestland from Break Free from Plastic, suggest that more ambitious measures like reusable and returnable cups could be more effective in reaching these sustainability targets.
