Innovation, Cup by Cup: The Starbucks Sustainability Approach

3 Min Read By Sridhar Deivasigamani

Starbucks recently announced that it aims to have every customer either use their own personal mug or cup or borrow a reusable cup from their local Starbucks — by 2025. 

The company is testing a variety of programs to determine what will most effectively reduce waste while keeping customers satisfied. This change will directly contribute to the coffee chain’s 2030 sustainability goals to conserve water usage by 50 percent and achieve carbon neutral green coffee.

Waste is an immense issue within the restaurant industry, and Starbucks itself distributes over six billion single-use cups each year — most of which are unable to be recycled and end up directly in landfills or the environment. Meanwhile, the entire restaurant industry struggles immensely with waste from single-use plastics.

According to the EPA, food and packaging/containers account for almost 45 percent of the materials in landfills in the United States. This number has only grown in the past few years as the…