If ever there was an enduring symbol of a brand, it would have to be the Starbucks cup. From the holiday red cup to the classic white, these cups are iconic in their own way. But while these cups are a true symbol of the brand, that doesn’t necessarily mean that is a good thing.
And according to a new report from CNN, it seems that Starbucks wants to change the way we look at the company. What does that mean? It means that they want to be a more sustainable brand. They want to take the idea of stopping for coffee to a different level by doing away with their single use cups and switching over to a reusable cup model. (That being said, they did say that they wouldn’t completely eliminate the paper and plastic cups, but rather they want to discourage their use.)
Of course, that means implementing some plan to make it easier for people who aren’t necessarily carrying around reusable cups when running errands, or making a quick stop for a coffee break. And it seems that the way they plan to do that is,
"To phase out disposables, Starbucks is considering a widespread borrow-a-cup program, in which customers pay a deposit for a durable cup that they take with them and drop back off after use."
Starbucks wants to switch to reusable cups by 2025
Whether you are ordering in store, in the drive thru, or even as an order ahead mobile order, Starbucks wants us to be able to use our own cups or pay a deposit on a returnable cup. How would this work? Well, we don’t really know, at least in terms of bringing our own reusable cups to get those mobile orders filled.
But in 2021, Starbucks did a test in Seattle where they offered a cup that was reusable with a $1 deposit. In order to get your $1 back, you needed to return the cup to a bin in the store. The cups were then picked up and washed by an outside company before being returned to the store for reuse.
Instead of using the throw away cups, baristas would use the reusable cups to get the drinks ready to go.
As someone who owns a massive Starbucks tumbler collection, I have long been a fan of having my drink made in my own tumbler. Of course, that doesn’t work when placing a mobile order, so if they can find a way to still make the order ahead option convenient while using one of my personal tumblers then I am all for it.
But we want to know what you think. Are you a fan of Starbucks switching over to a reusable cup program? Are you a fan of the paper cups? How do you think this program will work? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.