Starbucks Shares New Plan to Reduce Single-Use Cup Waste

Get your mason jars and tumblers ready!

Starbucks is making big moves to encourage their customers to “go green” with their containers. Starting Friday, April 22nd, customers who bring a clean, reusable cup for their indoor Starbucks order will receive 25 stars in return.

For those who aren’t familiar with Starbucks stars, these points can be gained by making purchases using your personal rewards code. Normally, you gain about 1 or 2 stars per dollar you spend. Stars can be redeemed for free add-ins, brewed coffee, bakery items and even handcrafted drinks, depending on how many you have saved.

It’s safe to say that the rewards for bringing your reusable cup are nothing to turn your nose up to. For example, while a free brewed hot coffee would require you to spend $25 on Starbucks products, you would only need to bring your reusable cup to the store twice for your orders to already have enough stars for a free hot coffee.

Starbucks' new rule comes after the billion-dollar company made a mid-March pledge to majorly reduce their cup waste by 2025 and "create a cultural movement." At the time, the pledge seemed to be followed by very little action, with explanation given about how the company planned to proceed.

Luckily, this April announcement seems to have much more substance. While the new change is certainly a step in the right direction, it also raises questions. For one, is this the only step Starbucks is taking for reducing waste? It also brings into question a point that many citizens have brought up recently: what is it with big businesses placing the blame and responsibility of waste on customers? The reality is that many big businesses produce waste in several aspects of their production. Announcements like the Starbucks one could be criticized more of a performative action rather than something truly helpful for the big picture.

In the case of Starbucks specifically, there is some data to protect them from this accusation. According to the company, single-use cups account for 20% of the company’s global waste. Additionally, Starbucks’ disposable cups and lids actually make up 40% of its packaging waste, as stated by their chief sustainability officer.

The company has also made it a priority to test out several additional tools, like cup-washing stations in Hawaii and on Arizona State University’s campus. It's also testing borrow-a-cup plans in Japan, Singapore and London. According to CNBC, “The designated reusable cups were designed to be returned to stores, professionally cleaned and reused by other customers. The company tested the program in Seattle already, where customers paid a deposit for every cup and received their dollar back when they returned it.”

While the company continues to experiment with ways to reduce waste, it's certainly setting an example. It's one of just a few big businesses to get so serious—and innovative—with reducing their waste.

“Our cup is ubiquitous, and we love that. But it is also this ubiquitous symbol of a throwaway society,” concluded Michael Kobori, Starbucks’ chief sustainability officer.