SEATTLE — Starbucks has announced plans to eliminate plastic straws across its 28,000 stores by 2020. The change is part of a conscious effort to reduce waste in all of its coffee shops.
“For our partners and customers, this is a significant milestone to achieve our global aspiration of sustainable coffee, served to our customers in more sustainable ways,” says Kevin Johnson, president and CEO, Starbucks.
Starbucks has designed, developed and manufactured a strawless lid, which will soon become available for all iced coffee, tea and espresso drinks. The move is a part of a $10-million commitment to develop a fully recyclable and compostable global cup solution.
Customers in Vancouver and Seattle will be the first to see the strawless lids as phased rollouts are expected to continue in other North American markets next year. The company plans to pilot the lid in Asia before beginning its global rollout in Europe. The lid is currently available in more than 8,000 stores, but only for select beverages in the U.S. and Canada.
The move is the latest in a series of plans Starbucks has developed to be environmentally friendly with its products and its stores. It also follows similar announcements from other global companies as of late.
Starbucks will begin offering straws made from alternative materials — including paper or compostable plastic — for Frappuccino-blended beverages and upon request.
