Starbucks is pilot testing more eco friendly paper cups that look and feel just like the company’s normal cups. According to CNN the plastic lining has been replaced with a compostable liner, called BioPBS™, making the cups certified recyclable and compostable. The testing will take place at select cafes in New York, Seattle, San Francisco, Vancouver and London.
According to the WSJ the coating is made out of renewable material, which is melted and spread on to paperboard before being used for the new cups. Hopes are that it will allow Starbucks to move away from the plastic cup liners that adhere to paper cups, keeping the cups from leaking but making them difficult to recycle.
Yet, how recyclable the new cups will be is a matter of whether or not cups will just get tossed out before the recyclable lining is separated and processed for recycling. According to CNN, this is precisely why the cups are being tested in cities that have processing facilities to do so.
The new cups are part of Starbucks’ NextGen Cup Challenge. According to Starbucks, the NextGen Cup Challenge included a six-month, open-sourced, global innovation design competition to redesign the fiber to-go cup and create a widely recyclable and/or compostable cup. Starbucks considered 12 different prototypes before it chose to go with the BioPBS liner.
Packaging comprises more than half of the Seattle-based chain’s waste output annually. More sustainable cups is part of Starbucks’ plan to reduce waste by 50 percent over the next decade. However, as reported by Yahoo News, this move also coincides with the company’s decision not to allow customers to bring in their own reusable cups over Covid-19 fears.
Meanwhile, other companies are making similar maneuvers. For example, McDonald’s said it would sustainably source its plastic alternative packaging this year. Additionally, Taco Bell parent Yum Brands Inc. said it would make all of its packaging sustainable in the next five years.
States are also prompting consumers to reduce waste. In fact, on March 1st New York enacted a state-wide ban on single-use plastic bags. This is expected to reduce the more than 23 billion plastic bags that are used every year. New York consumers will now be charged 5 cents for each paper bag. Neighboring states including Vermont, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Oregon and Maine have also banned single-use plastic bags.
Like other companies, Starbuck’s eco goals extend beyond recyclable cups. Starbucks unveiled longer-term strategies to get greener. Some include switching to reusable packaging and putting more plant-based products on its menu. In addition, Starbucks announced earlier this year that it was going to slash its greenhouse gas emissions and waste it sends to landfills by half over the next decade. It also aims to conserve or replenish 50 percent of all the water it draws for its operations and coffee production by 2030.
While Starbucks met its 2015 deadline to purchase enough renewable energy to power all its company-operated locations in the US and Canada it failed to consistently meet similar self-imposed deadlines. In 2008, Starbucks set out to serve 25 percent of its drinks in reusable containers by 2015. A few years after setting that deadline Starbucks dropped that goal to 5 percent. In the end Starbucks served just 1.3 percent of its drinks in personal reusable cups by 2018. If history repeats itself than meeting these new green goals will be a challenge for Starbucks to say the least.
Though Starbucks has a dubious record on achieving its sustainability goals this is definitely a step in the right direction. We certainly hope to see Starbucks make it a priority to better manage its waste by ensuring more reuse and recycling. Do you think that we will see more follow through from Starbucks this time on effectively reducing their waste?
What do you think about Starbucks testing more eco friendly cups? Do you think that it will have a significant impact in zero waste?
