Starbucks will ditch plastic straws by 2020
Chain will turn to recyclable strawless lids and alternative material straws
Starbucks plans to eliminate plastic straws globally by 2020.
The coffee-shop giant announced Monday that it will use recyclable strawless lids and an alternative-material straw option in its more than 28,000 stores around the world. The move will eliminate more than 1 billion plastic straws per year from Starbucks stores, the company said.
“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,” Kevin Johnson, president and CEO of Starbucks, said in a statement.
The chain joins a growing number of companies making similar pledges, including Alaska Airlines, hotel chains Hilton and Accor Hotels, cruise lines Royal Caribbean and Cunard, and food-service giant Bon Appetit Management, whose 1,000-plus locations in 33 states include universities and museums.
Last month, McDonald’s announced that it would start testing plastic-straw alternatives at certain
U.S. locations this year.
Americans use an estimated 500 million single-use straws daily, according to Eco-Cycle.
Starbucks’ newly designed strawless lid will be used for all iced coffee, tea and espresso beverages. The environmentally friendly lid is now available in more than 8,000 of its stores in the U.S. and Canada for select beverages, including Draft Nitro and Cold Foam. Cold beverages now account for more than 50 percent of Starbucks’ beverage mix in the U.S., up from 37 percent five years ago, the company said.
The coffee retailer will also begin offering straws made from alternative materials — including paper or compostable plastic — for Frappuccino beverages. These new straws will also be made available upon request to customers who prefer or need a straw.
Starting this fall, Starbucks customers in Seattle and Vancouver will be the first to receive the strawless lids, with phased roll-outs in the U.S. and Canada coming in fiscal year 2019. A global roll-out will follow, starting in Europe where the strawless lids will arrive in select stores in France, the Netherlands and the U.K.
A plastic-straw ban in Seattle, Starbucks’ hometown, took effect July 1, making it the first major city to take action. Malibu, California; Miami Beach, Florida; and Monmouth Beach, New Jersey, also prohibit single-use sippers.
An online petition calling on Starbucks to say goodbye to plastic straws has close to 150,000 signatures.