Starbucks is launching an experimental “Borrow Cup” program at a specific location in its hometown of Seattle.
The plan is part of Starbucks’ goal to make its cups more sustainable, and it will be conducting a two-month trial in five Seattle stores. Customers in these stores can choose to put drinks in reusable cups.
This is how it works: customers will order drinks in reusable cups and pay a $1 refundable deposit. When the customer finished the drink, they returned the cup and received a $1 refund and 10 red stars in their Starbucks rewards account.
If customers take their cups home, they can also take advantage of Starbucks’ partnership with Ridwell, which will extract reusable cups from your home. Each cup is then cleaned and disinfected, and then placed back in rotation for another customer to use.
This effort is just one of the coffee chain’s green cup attempts, which will help drive the company’s commitment to reduce its waste by 50% by 2030. For example, Starbucks recently redesigned the cold cup lid, so they won’t need a straw.
The chain’s traditional disposable hot cup is made of plastic and paper, so it is difficult to recycle. Although compostable cups may be a more environmentally friendly option, they must be composted in industrial facilities. Therefore, reusable cups may be a more practical and environmentally friendly option, although this method is difficult to scale.
Starbucks launched a reusable cup trial at London Gatwick Airport in 2019. A year ago, the company worked with McDonald’s and other partners to launch the NextGen Cup Challenge to rethink cup materials. Participants from hobbyists to industrial design companies have submitted proposals for cups made of mushrooms, rice husks, water lilies, corn leaves and artificial spider silk.
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