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Starbucks announces new cold cup design to reduce waste

The Brew photoshoot in Fife, WA on April 3rd 2024.

On Apr. 17, Starbucks announced the rollout of an improved version of its single-use cold cup that they say will reduce waste by 10-20% – keeping 13.5 million pounds of plastic from landfills in U.S. and Canada each year at no additional cost.

The redesigned cold cup adds to the sustainable packaging designs from Starbucks over the years, including the hot cup with 10% recycled material, strawless lids, and the recycled material sleeve.

More about Starbucks improved single-use cold cups:

• Designed by Starbucks specifically to be more sustainable and accessible, these cups are made with up to 20% less plastic and support Starbucks commitment to cut its carbon, water and waste footprints in half by 2030.
• They’re inspired by feedback from store partners, and partners with low vision helped directly inform the features to make the cup more accessible. Most importantly, this includes a universal lid for the tall, grande and venti cups.
• You’ll begin seeing the cups this month in select stores across the U.S. and Canada, with a full rollout completed through the course of this year.

Starbucks is making single-use more sustainable, but the most sustainable cup is the one you already have at home. The company has seen encouraging results since it became the first national retail coffeehouse to accept reusable cups across all points of order in January. As the company continues to drive consumer behavior change on reusables, the latest results show nearly 200,000 more Starbucks beverages were purchased with a personal cup than last year in the same period.