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Out with the old, in with the reusable. Yesterday, ahead of today’s shareholder meeting, Starbucks revealed its latest plan to curb disposable-cup use.
Something borrowed: Customers will be able to BYO cup to every Starbucks across the US and Canada by the end of this year. By 2025, Starbucks wants all customers to either bring their own mug or borrow a reusable to-go cup from their local chain.
The company is considering a borrow-a-cup program that involves customers paying a deposit for a reusable cup that they take with them and drop back off later, or disposable cup fees.
- There will be 20+ different tests in eight markets to determine which system Starbucks will use across the board to ditch single-use cups.
Starbucks consumers are dedicated to the brand, which could help move along its sustainability goals, noted Kearney Consumer Institute lead Katie Thomas. “With a loyalty program as strong as Starbucks’s, they have potential power to incentivize consumers to engage,” she told Retail Brew in an email.
But, but, but: The challenge, as with many sustainability initiatives, will be getting people to buy in. If the rise and fall of the metal straw taught us anything, it’s that making consumers stray from their natural purchasing path is an uphill battle.
“The program relies on consumers to participate for it to be successful,” Thomas continued. “Bringing reusable cups requires a behavior change on behalf of the consumer, not just remembering the cup, but knowing a lot of people need coffee when they are on the go.”—JG