Starbucks’ Recyclable Plastic Cups
I love Starbucks. It’s my go-to spot for late-night study sessions. (The baristas know me by name, #embarrassing.) Last week I spied their new reusable plastic cups that sell for $1. I had a mini internal physiological earthquake as I approached the counter. For years, I have eagerly awaited this moment!
Now some of you are probably thinking I’m a complete weirdo for being so obsessive about a reusable plastic coffee mug (you do have a point). But these aren’t just more paper and wax Starbucks disposable cups. This cup is meant to revolutionize the way companies and society think about “to-go” beverage containers. Do they represent a true green marketing revolution, though, or just a green marketing ploy?
Introducing Starbucks Reusable Plastic Cups
For the past few years, Starbucks has hosted an annual “Cup Summit” that brings together the top dogs in materials engineering and packaging with Starbucks’ executives to strategize how to reduce cup waste. The latest product from this gathering is their new cup, a look-a-like to their paper ones made from a ‘recyclable’ plastic. As an incentive to bring it in for a refill, (the Starbucks baristas will wash it out with boiling water for you), customers receive ten-cents off their drink.
Sounds pretty cool to me. Starbucks has created an incentive for coffee lovers to reduce the amount of material wasted by creating reusable cups, and making them more affordable than the $7 stainless steel coffee mugs they sell in their stores and on-line. 
More Questions than Starbucks is Answering
Time to give Starbucks a pat on the back for their green marketing and green design efforts? Should we applaud Starbucks for these reusable plastic cups and thank them for being a leader in sustainability? (Enter science nerd side of me stage left). Not so fast!….I’ve got more questions than Starbucks’ website seems to be answering.
What about all the energy needed to create these reusable cups? Are we just wasting more energy to create these rather than continue to sip from the single-use disposable paper cups? (How many paper cups does one need to avoid before offsetting the impacts of the plastic?)
Chances are, Starbucks regulars like me are going to wash these cups in the dishwasher (top shelf). This will require a lot of energy, soap and hot water (ditto for washing in the sink). How does this compare to the environmental impacts of a disposable paper cup?
As emblazoned on the cups, they are ‘recyclable*’ with an asterisk — noting that they are not recyclable in all areas. So chances are they will wind up in landfills where they’ll likely sit for 500 years. Will Starbucks take them back for recycling? I didn’t see any signage or recycling bins to that effect.
I’ve heard these reusable plastic cups are produced in China, so I’m wondering if they are traveling further than the throwaway paper cups – producing more greenhouse gases in the process.
To date, despite checking their website, asking the Starbucks baristas, and perusing other reports, I have not been able to find answers to my questions. Until I do, I’m sticking with my stainless steel coffee mug for my caffeine boost fill-ups (and I still get the ten-cents off).
What do you think – does this reusable and recyclable plastic cup really help to cut down on waste or not? Is it good green marketing — or simply greenwash? Or perhaps somewhere in-between?
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March 20, 2013 at 8:30 am
Miranda,
It’s always useful to question the status quo and alternatives, but I don’t view it as an either/or thing. Each cup type may provide an option to a different “segment” of users. No cup type offers a total “solution” and there will never be “0″ impact of anything. (“Zero” landfill ?-please…) Kudos to SB for even raising and trying to deal with the issue-think of all the other places that aren’t-Dunkin, Baskin Robbins, etc…small stores, etc…
I’m with you-bring your own, if you can (may not be possible for a public commute into a City for an all day mtg).
SB in-store is too expensive as a regular habit. We buy bags of SB and make it @ home. Then, using the offer printed on the bag, take the bag in for a free cup (reduces cost of bag). They are supposed to recycle the bags (I asked SB corp. after I saw the bags disposed into trash-not sure how they’d recycled them…)
Starbucks even “offers” its coffee grounds for landscaping, which I’ve used a few times. Wonder how much of that material is disposed. Waste Management and other firms offer separate pickup of organics that could divert that material from disposal-it would be interesting to learn where SB uses that option (or what % of the total # stores).
March 20, 2013 at 7:28 pm
Hi Ben,
Thank you for your comment! I completely agree that Starbucks at least is trying to promote more sustainable behaviors and has branded themselves as a eco-friendly company. However, I think it is still unclear whether this new cup is a step in the right direction or simply a marketing tool.
I recently discover collapsable mugs for traveling, which are an absolute life-saver when you need something light and doesn’t take up much space. They are pretty affordable (~$10), durable, BPA free, and made from food grade silicone (check them out at http://compare.ebay.com/like/370700841373?var=lv<yp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar). Perfect for the commuter!
I was thrilled when I learned about the coffee grounds offers, because my parents have a pretty extensive garden that my mom relies on to supply her restaurant – very cool initiative. Waste Management is involved with a number of cool projects (the organics pickup service being one of them), including methane capturing technologies.
Again thanks for the comment!
March 20, 2013 at 9:39 am
Miranda,
, we may see a whole lot more folks toting stainless washable cups like you!
Nice post. I hope Starbucks, in their zeal to do something right by the planet didn’t wind up disappointing one of their ‘deep green’ own like you!
I couldn’t find anything about the cups on their website either, which is strange.
I suspect, after having seen the cups, their are made from a nice clean and durable plastic called polycarbonate — which I remember from my research years ago was used by dairies for refillable milk jugs — and the jugs could be used up to 60 times before they were recycled.
In this instance, without Starbucks taking them back themselves for recycling (given that local facilities are very limited — if exist at all), I fear that the cups — kind of like the ‘keepsake’ cups you get at Disney and the ballparks will simply wind up in landfills. This is likely compounded by the fact that they are cheap, too – just a buck.
I wonder if the real ‘answer’ to Starbucks cup problem is to simply charge extra for the paper cups — after the revolution ended (maybe they could try it here in NYC under the guidance of Mayor Bloomberg
March 20, 2013 at 7:45 pm
Hi Jacquie,
So I think that it might be made out of polypropylene, based upon this Starbucks blog article (http://blogs.starbucks.com/blogs/customer/archive/2012/10/02/save-money-cups-and-the-planet.aspx). Like Mark Eisen below stated, the recycling rate for these are pretty low (http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/materials/plastics.htm).
I agree – charging would be a great way to raise awareness and incentivize the behavior change. However, convincing Starbucks to make this “radical” gesture will probably be difficult…. But I am all for it!
Thanks,
Miranda
March 20, 2013 at 1:04 pm
It took quite a bit of digging, but an editorial in Plastics News said the plastic material is polypropylene, or “PP”. It’s recycling number is 5 (“SPI” code, found in the chasing-your-tail triangle symbol). Why didn’t Starbucks simply disclose this? EPA reports that plastics recycling rates are overall about 7 or 8%, with most of that average being brought up by polyethylene (PE) recycling, numbers 1 and 2, where the recycling rates are only in the 30% range. Think HDPE (high density) milk jugs and LDPE (low density) plastic bags. So, the PP recycling rate is likely nil. Not to say it isn’t happening or even increasing, but it can’t be much now. I don’t think this is such a great move by Starbucks. Once this fact is known, combine it with another made in China export-a-job product, and no proof of concept, so to speak, in any known life cycle analysis. The hot water alone to rinse each cup at Starbucks will also add up. After all, a Starbucks is not like a car wash. As far as I know, Starbucks is not recycling their dishwater like a car wash recycles virtually all of its water. So this one size fits all strategy, for drought areas in particular or perennially starved water areas, has problems. Another thing I read is that in a few years Starbucks will be able to recycle their paper cups, having only recently cracked the code for being able to separate the necessary traditional inner liner material from the paper, which has been the holdup here. Apparently, efforts to recycle paper cups in their stores up to now have been problematic, but that is the goal. This makes the “reusable” PP cup an interim step. Starbucks should have just said so. Although PP is relatively durable, the reusable cups will have an average life of who knows how many uses before they enter the waste/recycling stream, and no one really knows in what time period or at what rate either alternative will occur. Or what profit Starbucks is making on each cup. Finally, I think Starbucks missed an opportunity to introduce a recyclable biobased alternative. They could have switched their paper cup lining to PLA, a biobased material, and used biobased material for their lids. There are plenty of opportunities to certify biobased, most prominently through USDA. Don’t roast their environmental people for this effort, however; I’m sure they are well intentioned. They were probably overruled by bean counters.
March 20, 2013 at 7:07 pm
Mark,
Thanks for clarifying the kind of plastic as polypropelene (PP or #5). That, too is a very clean kind of plastic and is highly recyclable. It is also very light. That’s the reason why Stonyfield cites on their website for preferring it over #2 plastic for yogurt cups.
http://www.stonyfield.com/healthy-planet/our-practices-farm-table/sustainable-packaging
Stonyfield also talks about a in-store “Gimme 5″ collection effort for wide-mouth containers such as yogurt cups made from PP (which are not collected in curbside programs.) Would be nice to think Stonyfield is considering a similar effort for these containers.
March 21, 2013 at 12:41 am
Hi Mark,
Thanks for the comments. I hope I did not sound like I was roasting the people behind the initiative – that was the furthest thing from my intention. Instead, I merely wanted to raise some questions I had about this new cup.
I think you are right about it being made out of PP (http://blogs.starbucks.com/blogs/customer/archive/2012/10/02/save-money-cups-and-the-planet.aspx). It is unfortunate that the company did not release a statement about their overall plans and that it did not at least explain why biobased products were not used. Maybe the next Starbucks Cup Summit with provide more depth into why it chose not further explore these technologies. Perhaps the company is merely protecting itself from more people probing questions.
March 21, 2013 at 10:08 am
No, when I looked for stories about the cup, I found a lot of media were criticizing them, thus my tongue in cheek comment was general. I did find it disconcerting that literally every news media merely reprinted the press release or criticized or complimented the company without so much as asking Starbucks some basic questions, like what type of plastic they were using. Is everyone still hung up on The Graduate movie’s “plastics” line? I also think that no corporation is doing this and suffering any financial advantage. Starbucks is no dummy. The $1.00 they charge is obviously way more than the cup costs them. They may have calculated how many times they thought the cup would be used, how much cost that would save them in paper and what the $0.10 refill discount costs them. Hopefully, they took all their costs into consideration and priced the reusable cup at their breakeven. It would be nice if Starbucks told us this, because the perception of a polypropylene cup stacked on mega container ships from China at a landed cost of $0.10 each and selling for $1.00 is not good.
March 25, 2013 at 11:18 pm
Completely agree about the media – I could find no substantive information just product release updates in the media. Do you think there is anyway we can get Starbucks to issue a release at this point?
March 25, 2013 at 11:33 pm
I doubt they would issue a correction or retraction; for Starbucks, they could update the information as part of a progress report, particularly if they get a favorable response. At this point, I think a national reporter would have to do a follow-up story about the effort. Not every thing a corporation does works, so at least SB could say they’re trying, learning and offering alternatives. There is a Greek island with very long living people, and today there was a report one factor could be the anti-oxident properties of coffee: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/26/science/on-one-greek-island-a-caffeinated-secret-to-long-life.html If I were Starbucks, I would concentrate some marketing on that!
March 20, 2013 at 2:05 pm
I would put this initiative firmly in the ‘green demonstration’ category. With all the life cycle questions, it simply profiles the issue of cup waste without really being a very meaningful part of the solution. This sort of profiling can be moderately useful in spreading awareness to a mainstream audience who probably still doesn’t use a blue box, but I think Starbucks could have done much better. A corporation with their depth of resources should be able to pioneer the manufacture of cups from recycled plastic (see Aladdin’s ‘Sustain’ recycled plastic mugs here http://www.aladdin-pmi.com/collections/sustain ) or, as another reader suggested, move to a better lifecycle with their disposable cups. #RecycleFail
March 25, 2013 at 11:23 pm
definite recycle fail. It just seems like this type of initiative is just 5 years too late. Considering they have invested in a CSR report and other environmental initiatives such as the CAFE standards (that have considerable available information), it is odd that they did not publicize this more in an effort to gain more attention as a sustainable brand. How do you think we can get them to do better?
March 20, 2013 at 3:21 pm
Hi Miranda-
Like you, I have a soft spot for Starbucks and it is a go to space, it is the “third space” after all.
I agree with Ben Larkey, that no cup type offers a total solution. Many people are inconvenienced by stainless steel mugs and travel mugs because it can be difficult to carry, sometimes they leak or they don’t fit into a purse and sometimes people just forget to carry them all the time. I have yet to check out this new cup but it does look very lightweight, which would be a huge plus! Let’s look beyond the packaging and look at the actual content.
Drinking coffee in general isn’t the most environmentally friendly option. Caffeine doesn’t stay in human bodies it travels through sewage treatment plants then high levels of caffeine end up in waterways and oceans which can impact marine life.
Even though coffees and teas have been a cultural center for ions, another idea to explore is that are we adding to much caffeine to our coffee?
March 21, 2013 at 12:48 am
Hey Melissa,
Could you send me the sources about the caffeine affecting marine life? I haven’t heard of that before and couldn’t find any studies related to the topic. Also, as I mentioned to Ben, the collapsable silicone cup is awesome for those who are commuting/traveling/hate clutter/etc.
Thanks for you comment!
March 21, 2013 at 10:40 am
Hi Miranda-
I found these two studies:
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es802617f
http://jgp.rupress.org/content/29/2/63.abstract
I’ll email you if I find anything else!
March 25, 2013 at 11:24 pm
definite recycle fail. It just seems like this type of initiative is just 5 years too late. Considering they have invested in a CSR report and other environmental initiatives such as the CAFE standards (that have considerable available information), it is odd that they did not publicize this more in an effort to gain more attention as a sustainable brand. How do you think we can get them to do better?
March 25, 2013 at 11:25 pm
sorry for the duplicate response to above – what I meant to say was THANK YOU! Very interesting research tied caffeine effects.
March 20, 2013 at 7:17 pm
I was getting ready to post a response and thankfully took the time to read all of the other quite “cerebral” comments. So I will simply keep it simple by stating the obvious in this never ending debate about so many, many things in the myriad of sustainability discussions. Ready? It’s complicated…
March 25, 2013 at 11:26 pm
Definitely complicated, without a straightforward answer. What do you think the next step for consumers and/or Starbucks should be?
March 21, 2013 at 9:51 am
Miranda,
Mark’s comments are very useful/informative.
Re: your point: “it is still unclear whether this new cup is a step in the right direction or simply a marketing tool.” you may be using rhetorical flourish, but it may not an either/or situation (I’d make that point about almost anything in life…)
If a co. has an improvement/solution, don’t they need to “market” it, or how would they communicate it to customers ?
I view it as a good thing that firms are integrating CSR into products/services for competitive advantage, even if there’s improvement potential. We don’t have to get it through the corp. gauntlet with competing priorities of cost/benefits.
Also, this is not a new approach. When I started @ Canon USA in 1999 as Sr Mgr Corp Env & Product Safety, the Sodexo cafe @ the NY HQ had this in effect, although I had to ask, because they had no information in the cafe (!) -I created/had them post a sign to rev up the program. It also was in effect at Sharp in 2011 (and they provide a branded free plastic drink container with lid to new employees-good marketing tool) with 1 cafe sign (would be better with more). Maybe food services have it in effect all over and SB has adapted it-whatever helps reduce waste.
Maybe SB could incentivize (?) more with “use it 5 times, get a free coffee” or similar, but that gets into cost/benefit ratio options and how to manage/track.
March 25, 2013 at 11:36 pm
Hi Ben,
I am not arguing that marketing is not important – I think it is absolutely critical for both companies and improving environmental problems. Incorporating CSR into company operations is one of the most essential societal changes needed to address almost any environmental issue. But I am still not clear whether Starbucks’ cups and claims about its superior environmental impact is accurate. Do we actually know this cup and its actual use by consumers is improving the environment? How are they tracking use? How are materials for the cups extracted? How long do they take to break down? Are we building new facilities to produce these cups? The list goes on and on…
These questions have to be answered before we can determine whether this cup is better than the single-use paper alternative. False advertising/”green washing” is unfortunately a very real tactic used to market to consumers so that they “feel” the company is doing the right thing. I just would like to see the facts to back it up.
March 21, 2013 at 4:29 pm
I rarely make my way to Starbucks, however understanding the influence Starbucks has over other industry players, I also had high hopes about this initiative. The outcome is a disappointment, and here’s why:
1. A narrow roll-out strategy: The fact that Starbucks rolled out the #5 plastic polypropylene cup but does not collect it for recycling (at least in NYC) demonstrates their lack of commitment to a solution of true impact. Since most people can not recycle #5 plastics in their town, it will likely end up in a landfill…and still be there 500 years from now.
2. Poor communication/education: Even with in-store displays and information on their website, it takes some digging to discover what material composes the cup. Baristas seem to also be uneducated and therefore can not energize consumers about it. Starbucks could have used the cup’s roll-out as a way to engage consumers. Instead, it wasted the opportunity and may have even taken a hit with environmentalists.
3. Unsubstantiated claims: They say the cup is better for the environment than alternatives but it is unclear how. I found no scientific information available (e.g. a lifecycle analysis) proving what they claim. Contrast this with the high degree of transparency Stonyfield displays in their choices of container and it becomes more apparent that Starbucks may be greenwashing.
4. Poor incentive: I have seen it multiple times in the “My Starbucks Idea” website and in other places that most customers will not change their behavior for 10 cents. Other coffee shops give 25 cents or even 50 cents off for bringing your own cup, so Starbucks’ incentive seems meager. It also shows lack of creativity since monetary incentives are not the only way to engage and motivate consumers. Why not give the greenest Starbucks customers special access (first taste of new blends, entrance into an special online community, special discount periods, etc.) as a better incentive?
As a company, either you put a stake in the ground by making your values clear and make the tough decisions that come with it, or you skirt the issue by making small, incremental changes and work hard to create the *image* that you stand by your values. Starbucks, please don’t be the latter!
March 25, 2013 at 11:40 pm
Hi Rachana,
Thanks for your comments. The tail end of point #4 – ” Why not give the greenest Starbucks customers special access (first taste of new blends, entrance into an special online community, special discount periods, etc.) as a better incentive ” is genius. Why haven’t they done this? This seems so easy and taps into a very effective tool – gamification! If you can make something competitive, people are more likely to change behavior. I think we should pitch this idea to Starbucks – In?
April 1, 2013 at 12:47 pm
Hi Miranda,
I am most definitely in! Let’s have an offline chat. Maybe Gabe can help!
Thanks,
Rachana
March 25, 2013 at 7:13 am
I also rarely make my way to Starbucks, but having finally tested the new cup this weekend I have a few concerns purely with the consumer experience, product life cycle aside.
To me, it seems a bit contrary to develop a new cup that is essentially still a disposable cup, provides a fairly insignificant discount to the consumer, and fails to provide many of the benefits that travel mug producers have worked years to perfect. While some travel mugs certainly leak and are a bit bulky to carry, there are now excellent options that I have found to be absolutely spill proof, such as the Contigo line of travel mugs. Contigo seems to be behind in producing recyclable mugs, but functionally they have been a great solution for me. At this point, I would be hesitant to put my empty Starbucks cup in my purse after finishing my coffee: it is bound to drip.
Part of the attraction of travel mugs is also the fact that they keep your coffee hot for longer. When given the option, I always opt to drink my coffee from a reusable cup in the coffee shop if I am going to drink my coffee quickly; otherwise, I always fill my travel mug to make sure that my coffee is still hot when I get where I am going.
As Rachana also mentioned, the consumer discount for using these cups is insignificant. Starbucks coffee is expensive and a 10 cent discount will rarely sway my opinion when making a one-item purchase. When I look for savings in my daily purchases, I usually opt for supporting local businesses that offer loyalty card programs with a reward of a free coffee after 10 purchases, or something along those lines.
While these concerns may seem trivial, at least for me, they are the initial impressions that will determine whether or not I use the new Starbucks cup.
March 25, 2013 at 11:45 pm
Hi Robyn,
Starbucks main concern (as a public company) is to maximize shareholder value, aka make sure customers and happy and returning to purchase their product. So this viewpoint is absolutely critical for understanding the longevity of this product. Even if this cup had zero impact, if customers hate it, nothing is improving.
March 25, 2013 at 8:05 am
Miranda,
You may have thought of this, but as an aspiring CSR professional, you may create value for yourself / build your brand by communicating with Starbucks and informing them of this discussion, although since they’ve convened “cup” planning meetings, may have heard this all before.
March 25, 2013 at 11:46 pm
Hi Ben,
I did think about this – any suggestions about how to go about that?
March 25, 2013 at 12:45 pm
Hi Miranda!
I had a very similar reaction to you when I first saw that lovely little cardboard display touting a brand new usable Starbucks cup and lo’! It was only $1! I immediately looked around to see if there was one of these fantastic innovations that I could grab but there were none in sight. Not a great sign. “This ought to be accesible,” I thought. I asked the barista if I could purchase one the cups and it took her two minutes to find where they had been stored… another bad sign. Were these not being demanded by most customers? It was only a $1 guys, come on! I was still too excited about this new consumer choice to really have my spirits dampened. I posted a picture of my new cup on Instagram, linking it to twitter and thanking #Starbucks. I was happy to see friends respond positively, maybe they would by a reusable cup as well! However, as kept going back to get my trademark Earl Grey latte, I found that the “one-size-fits-all” cup, was not fitting my needs. I have a low tolerance for caffeine so a tall black tea is plenty for me, but because the cup is sized as a grande, I was being told by the baristas that I had to pay for the larger size. Mind you, the 10 cent discount did not cover the difference and I had no remind, and even challenge a barista at one point, that I even got a discount. The result was, I ended up wasting about a fourth of my drink every time and have become less religious about keeping my cup in my backpack.
I was also very disappointed to rarely notice anyone else on campus with a reusable Starbucks cup, relying instead on the familiar paper container. I was frustrated that college age kids were not making a cheap and sustainable choice, but I noticed that only two times, out of the many, that I went into my Starbucks, the display was up. What I once had believed to be a fantastic environmental initiative, I was now considering rather skeptically. I began to wonder if this plastic cup was going to be recycled or if it would end up in a landfill like so many other plastic containers; and was the plastic type was even recyclable? It seems to me like Starbucks has taken a potentially great sustainable initiative and quit half-way to the finish line. Starbucks should be advertising more for their new cup and training their employees better to understand this product. Customers should also not be forced to purchase a size they don’t want.
This new cup could be the star of a new sustainable initiative and advertising campaign for Starbucks; they could be making the cups in country to reduce on travel costs and carbon emissions, they could be advertising a recycling program like with their coffee bags, “Bring in your old plastic cup and we’ll recycle it for you and give you a free cup of coffee!” Baristas could be trained to ask customers if they would like to purchase the reusable cup. But none of this has happened and the Starbucks website offers very little information about their new cup. These demand and supply-side problems were clearly not considered and with everything else I have read from your post and the comments, this cup is far from a solution to the waste generated by the international queen of caffeine. Maybe I had been too quick to thank Starbucks.
March 25, 2013 at 11:52 pm
Hi Dana,
I have the same issue happening on my campus. Except where I live, the baristas regularly tell me these cups are “hot” items yet I have not seen ONE purchased or carried. The lack of educational material for customers, employees, or the inquisitive mind highlights some sort of problem with this product’s release (at least to me ?). The fact that your friends liked it on instagram but may not actually buy the product is interesting – have you asked them about the discrepancy?
April 2, 2013 at 1:31 pm
Hi Miranda,
My friends who liked the post don’t go to my university so I didn’t get the chance to find out if they had bought the new cup. Also most of my friends on campus choose other coffee vendors, like Saxby’s, 7/11 or Dunkin Donuts, for their caffeine fix because it’s less expensive. I didn’t mention it in my post but I also noticed that the Starbucks in Center City Philly didn’t have the new cup display up either. Like you said, the lack of educational material is clearly a problem with the success and impact of the Starbucks reusable cup.
April 2, 2013 at 1:32 pm
Hi Miranda,
My friends who liked the post don’t go to my university so I didn’t get the chance to find out if they had bought the new cup. Also most of my friends on campus choose other coffee vendors, like Saxby’s, 7/11 or Dunkin Donuts, for their caffeine fix because it’s less expensive. I didn’t mention it in my post but I also noticed that the Starbucks in Center City Philly didn’t have the new cup display up either. The lack of educational material is clearly a problem with the success and impact of the Starbucks reusable cup.
March 26, 2013 at 10:36 pm
I personally am a very big Starbucks fan and I have to say I love the new cups. I actually had a Starbucks sticker and put it on a blank plastic mug, until I saw this. This was exactly what I wanted from Starbucks, and I’m “helping the environment”. In all honesty these plastic cups probably aren’t helping the environment any more than just the paper cups. However, I don’t think they hurt the environment much more either. It’s probably just a marketing technique. Starbucks will get customers to come back because of their small discount they get from re-using their $1, the cups probably don’t cost much more to make, and Starbucks gets credit for “going green”. Needless to say I do fully support Starbucks and the effort they show, even if it doesn’t help much.
March 28, 2013 at 2:55 pm
Official environmental comparison response here if you’re interested!
Firstly, thanks for the wonderful blog write-up!
Secondly, please allow me to introduce myself: I represent the company that developed this cup for Starbucks. I’m the Director of Innovation for a major food/beverage container company that’s been around for many years.
First things first, this cup was not an output of the Starbucks Cup Summit, although I wish it was somehow more closely tied to their initiative! It is really a solution we developed and pitched to Starbucks, as they already buy many of the “$7+ stainless” reusable containers that you referenced…
The cup represents the very beginning of a truly big idea: closing the loop on one of the most useful plastics–PP. It is the safest plastic for human use (food contact) and is the most “recyclable” plastic in terms of limited “down-grading” as it is cycled again and again. It’s really a wonder material that simply isn’t used enough (and as your readers accurately stated isn’t returned/reclaimed enough). We’re all working on bettering that.
In the meanwhile, it is still a better alternative that a single-use disposable paper cup. We ran LCAs (life cycle analyses) on this new PP plastic cup to directly compare it with Starbucks paper cups. These studies have been performed with reputable firms and with data supplied directly from Starbucks. Without sharing too much information (as Starbucks plans to eventually do a proper press release). Our new plastic cup is Carbon Footprint “breakeven” (or equivalently environmentally damaging) if you use it about 4 or 5 times. Now if you use it just once and throw it in the trash, it is nearly 3x worse… but that just isn’t the intention. It’s a reusable cup. After 10 uses, the carbon footprint is nearly half that of a paper cup (or technically 10 paper cups). These calculations consider all factors you correctly pointed out: manufacturing energy to form the cup, transit from China and trucks to the stores, even the hot water rinse and dishwasher cycles. Everything has been considered in it’s “cradle-to-cradle” life.
We are most proud of introducing something at the price-point that has never before been occupied by a quality, reusable cup. We believe that be getting more consumers to try reusable cups (by lowering as many barriers to adoption as possible), that we can begin to induce behavior change toward solutions that are more environmentally responsible.
Despite Starbucks’ future with the cup, we intend to push the limits of technology, design, marketing, and business relationships to repeatedly deliver solutions intended to change the world through encouraging more responsible consumer behavior. We want to reduce waste, promote sustainable systems, decrease carbon footprint, and ultimately help everyone to see material as precious–something we should use over and over again!
Thanks again for your positive view and support of this initiative. We hope to deliver new product soon that hits your radar again with major retailers of the world. Together we can change the world.
March 31, 2013 at 8:05 pm
Hi Gabe,
Thank you so much for your response and joining the conversation. Like others have commented, I am thrilled your company and Starbucks have used LCA to assess this cup’s environmental impact since its the only true way to answer many of the questions I posed. From your post, it seems critical for customers to use the cup at least 5 times before tossing it into the trash. So I have a couple more questions:
Why isn’t there more education/communication to the public about this?
Is there anyway to monitor repeat usage using Starbucks current system as of now?
Is there going to be any marketing that educates the consumer about the value of #5 plastic?
Also, when are they planning to release the press release you mentioned?
Is there a plan to eventually phase out the use of these cups to promote using more durable tumblers?
Again, thank you so much for your comments and helping me and others understand this cup’s role in solving wasteful behaviors.
March 28, 2013 at 5:52 pm
Thanks, Gabe. That’s great news and a great story. Starbucks has a great opportunity to tell that story. I would recommend they take your summary and print it on every paper cup.
March 28, 2013 at 7:08 pm
Gabe
Great to see you did an LCA on the cups! Its refreshing to see some thought analysis going into a decision making process. However, I’m not convinced that people will use their cups 4-5 times. I have a sneaking suspicion that if people were going to reuse their cups, they would just buy the metal mug. If your assumptions are correct, and people will reuse at least a few times, then it is a step in the right direction. It will be interesting to see how it pans out. I wonder how the low recycling rate of PP will factor in and if there is any way to quantify the average number of uses per cup?
Cheers
Ryan
March 29, 2013 at 1:26 pm
I’m with Ryan. This cup is neither here nor there, and sounds like a terrible idea! Why would someone pay an extra dollar for a cup that is difficult to recycle when you could invest in a travel mug for 5-10$ that you could have for years? Or better yet-wash out a FREE mason jar leftover from something in the fridge and ask them to fill it with your beverage of choice. I know, I know- “but glass gets hotter than this amazing new plastic cup!” I haven’t looked outside yet today, but it’s likely still freakishly blizzarding, and chances are you’re wearing gloves, so break out the mason jar!
Bringing your own mug/jar/cup, shall we say a “vessel” for liquid gold coffee, is obviously the most sustainable option. No matter what you choose, you still have to remember to bring the damn thing when you go to get coffee! Luckily, the generous 10-cent discount applies to ANY cup you bring-not just this barely-recyclable one.
Isn’t PP a #5 plastic? Is Starbucks going to pay for Action Carting to carry away all the additional plastic waste generated by the sale of this cup-or put strain on recycling plants when people toss them in with the normal recyclables? The “cup” idea is definitely a work in progress…best of luck, Gabe.
March 31, 2013 at 4:33 am
Many of the Starbucks employees do NOT know about these cups! I travel the New Jersey Turnpike frequently, and have had 3 instances where employees fill my recyclable cup but don’t know how to ring up the purchase with the discount. Many of them also don’t know how the top of the cup attaches to the bottom of the cup – in two instances, I had to snap the top on myself because they could not do it. In the NJ Turnpike Starbucks outlets, there is no signage indicating that they offer these cups. As another experiment, I asked to purchase one of the cups, and the person taking my order didn’t know that Starbucks offered cups like this!!
So: Starbucks, you need to TRAIN all of your staff (not just your managers) about the cups!
April 1, 2013 at 10:03 am
Perhaps Starbucks’s messaging is to blame, but my understanding is they’ve launched these cups as a bridge between their customers who bring a more durable reusable cup and those who normally use paper.
Despite their efforts SB hasn’t been able to reduce single-use paper cups much. Perhaps customers do not develop the habit of carrying their cup with them; perhaps they don’t see the benefit of paying $10-20 for a reusable cup. For the users who want to use a reusable cup, this new cup gives them a relatively low barrier ($1). Perhaps people will accumulate a few of these, wash them (and washing a cup is almost always better from an LCA perspective then a new cup, but it depends on how wastefully you wash), and then have one on their desk, one in a briefcase, one in the car, and one at home, so they’re more likely to have one at hand. At this price point, it only takes 10 refills for this cup to pay off.
It certainly would make a lot more sense for SB to gather PP for recycling, but remember, the point of this is to not dispose of it at the store, you should take it home, wash, and reuse it until it’s worn out, then recycle it.
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April 3, 2013 at 11:04 pm
But Rich…what are folks supposed to do with them after they’ve reused them, let’s say, the max number of times? It would only benefit Starbucks if they provided in-store recycling. They’d keep the no longer usable cups out of landfills (because no one really has access to #5 recycling), they’d have an opportunity, presumably to sell another $1 cup to the same consumers — and they’d look like heroes all the while.
April 4, 2013 at 12:41 pm
Yes, Jacquie, I agree that Starbucks should provide in-store recycling of their plastic cups for that time that you’re done with it and remember to bring it back. They could even give a discount on a replacement! That would increase the likelihood that cups would get recycled after multiple uses and not trashed at home.
I guess what I should have said is
“It certainly would make a lot more sense for SB to gather PP for recycling, but remember, the point of this is to not dispose of it at the store, you should take it home, wash, and reuse it until it’s worn out, then recycle it [either at home or at Starbucks].”
April 4, 2013 at 4:21 am
Hi Miranda,
When I think of buying a new reusable cup at Starbucks, I immediately share your worry that it is, indeed, new! I too wonder if all the energy that will go into creating and transporting the SB branded cup will fail to offset the energy used and waste generated by the original cups. I see here that the cup does save energy, after 5 uses. My fear is that if there is no financial incentive to remember the cup that users will forget it more often than not.
I’m currently living in Copenhagen, Denmark. Here at the grocery store, we have to pay extra to buy plastic bags. It’s not a huge fee, but it’s enough to make me remember my backpack and a re-usable tote when rushing to re-fill my fridge. Perhaps this is another solution? Charge for the paper cups and hope the price spike is enough to make chronic coffee drinkers remember a travel mug or purchase the new renewable cup – and remember it.
Cradle-to-cradle wise, what happens to this cup when the avid coffee drinkers stops using it when they want to give up their caffeine addiction? Does the cup get passed on to a friend of family member or does it just end up in a landfill? Should Starbucks be responsible for taking the cup back and reselling it? Otherwise, what we have is another flimsy plastic-produced cup. To me, it seems like a wiser investment to stick with your own single travel mug that could withstand being thrown around in a purse or suitcase. Plus with a steel mug, if you give up coffee, it can always be used for some hot soup in the winter!
April 4, 2013 at 10:18 am
Jacquie, at the risk of knowing more than I should for the few times I go during a year, the local (W. Caldwell, NJ) store has a recycling container that I think includes plastics, and does not exclude #5. SB could state on the signs that they accept the cup in the store for recycling, or it can be recycled @ Whole Foods.
April 4, 2013 at 9:13 pm
Ben, this idea is great. imagine if all of the Starbucks on major highways had recycling containers for these cups. Frequent travelers would not be tempted to put them in the usual large refuse containers (at least i hope they would not be tempted!).
April 9, 2013 at 10:17 pm
When I first read this post, I was immediately reminded of a similar situation in which marketing efforts didn’t quite accurately reflect the ‘green’ nature of the product.
Marketed as 100% recyclable plastic packaging made up of up to 30% plant products, Coca-Cola/Dasani’s PlantBottles have been extremely popular with consumers. I’ll even admit that I was initially impressed by these claims.
However, a recent project prompted my to investigate these claims further; are these bottles as eco-friendly as marketed? In conversations with the director of a local recycling center, as well as environmental scientists, I’ve found that this is not the case.
What Coca-Cola fails to point out is that these bottles contain bioplastics that melt at lower temperatures than other counterparts. This causes major issues when the bottles are sent through the traditional recycling stream. Not only do they clog up machinery, but also contaminate the recycling stream. Given this information, does it even make sense for consumers to be recycling these bottles?
This begs the question, were Coca-Cola’s eco-friendly efforts worth it? Does it make more sense to revert to the previous bottle model that required more resources for production, but could safely and effectively be recycled?
I’m forced to consider what other eco-friendly efforts/products might not be as friendly as they’re marketed to be. It seems that in this situation, as well as the Starbucks example above, innovators failed to think beyond the immediate production and obvious use of the products. At what point do companies like these cross the line from plain ignorance to taking advantage of the general unawareness of society?
April 20, 2013 at 10:01 pm
Jen,
I think you rightly point out that not all bioplastics are as recyclable (or compostable) as consumers seem to believe.
However, I’m wondering if you might be confusing Coke’s “plant bottle” made with 30% biobased PET with water bottles made from PLA (polylactic acid — often made from corn.) The latter looks like PET water bottles and are not recyclable. (They are in fact compostable in industrial composting facilities.)
From my direct experience speaking with Coke executives about the Plant Bottle, — and based upon claims made on their bottles, which need to go through strict legal and technical clearance, I understand that those bottles are definitely recyclable within a regular PET waste stream.
It’s all pretty confusing: Some bioplastics are recyclable but not compostable; some are vice versa; and some plastics made from petroleum are actually degradable, while not all bioplastics will degrade – yikes!
April 18, 2013 at 9:07 am
Reusable cups are fine but not for us TEA drinkers. The taste of tea is primarily a function of aroma and plastic retains aroma, so tea never tastes good in a plastic cup of any kind. So to make a resuable mug that’s successful, people have to like it, and without even trying this I can say the tea would taste terrible. So back to disposable paper – or – my own ceramic mug that I bring from home in the car (and which spills all the time!).
May 1, 2013 at 12:04 pm
Also stainless steel mugs are a good alternative!
May 1, 2013 at 11:17 am
Hi Miranda
perhaps people should take their own mugs to starbucks? Anyone who did could have a discount on their coffee?
May 1, 2013 at 12:06 pm
Stephanie, Starbucks already does offer a $0.10 discount for using your own mug OR to anyone who asks for a “for here” cup (it comes in Starbucks own ceramic mugs).