Starbucks rolling out single-use cups made with 20 percent less plastic

In April, Starbucks began the rollout of an improved single-use cold cup made with up to 20 percent less plastic and says the cups will keep 13.5 million pounds of plastic from landfills annually at no additional cost.

The company says this is its latest step to “give more than it takes,” including cutting its carbon, water and waste footprint in half and updating all customer packaging to being reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2030. The new cold cups, which come in tall, grande, venti and trenta sizes, are projected to reduce emissions and conserve water in the production process, while streamlining workflow for store employees by utilizing the same type of lid and simplifying storage.

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The redesigned cold cup adds to the company’s sustainable packaging innovations over the years, which include a hot cup with 30 percent recycled material, strawless lids and the recycled material sleeve.

The new cold cups began appearing in select stores across the United States and Canada in April, and a full rollout will be completed over the course of the next year.

Among its single-use initiatives, Starbucks began accepting reusable cups at all its stores starting in January, and reports that nearly 400,000 Starbucks Rewards members bring in their personal cup; 150,000 first-time personal cup users took part in the program; and 20 percent of baristas have used a personal cup for their shift beverage since January.

In the U.S. Starbucks rewards members receive 25 bonus stars when they use a personal cup, in addition to a 10-cent discount.