Your morning Starbucks run could soon start looking a little different. In a company statement this week, the coffee powerhouse shared its goals for preserving the planet and what that means for your paper cups.
To start, Starbucks plans to reduce its waste by 50% by the year 2030, and that means a departure from single-use plastics. To do that, it’s starting a pilot program for reusable cups in half a dozen markets. The goal? For customers in the U.S. and Canada to have their own personal reusable cup at every store, drive-thru and mobile order.
Starbucks president and CEO, Kevin Johnson shares, “We have a bold long-term sustainability vision and ambitious goals for 2030.”
Currently, CNBC reports that disposable lids and cups make up 40% of the company’s packaging waste, so ditching them would be a giant step to better sustainability. By 2025, Starbucks hopes to be able to give customers access to personal or Starbucks-provided reusable cups every time they visit.
Right now, the company is testing a few “Borrow-A-Cup” programs and other reusable models in the United States, U.K., Japan and more. Per usual, cafés are continuing to encourage people to bring their own cups and Starbucks is even considering additional ideas like a cup washing station at the counter.
Despite the potential for busy parents everywhere to forget their cups at home (a la our reusable grocery bags), there is still a general sentiment held by most people to help save the planet in any small way they can. Kim Davis, a Starbucks store manager testing the “Borrow-A-Cup” program at her store shares, “Customers were just so excited to try something new and my partners had a lot of pride in testing it and giving that feedback to make the program even better. I do think that everyone really does want to contribute to a better world, and if we can help them do that one cup at a time, that is our mission right there.”
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