Starbucks Takes on Waste: A City-Wide Reusable Cup Test

Key Takeaways

Starbucks partners with local businesses and the city of Petaluma to make reusable cups standard.
The goal is to reduce single-use cup waste by making reusable cups the norm.
Starbucks works with other businesses and competitors to build a system for reusable cups.
If it works well in Petaluma, this could lead to more widespread use of reusable cups.
This initiative supports Starbucks’ aim to give back more than it takes.

Starbucks is starting a new initiative in Petaluma, California, to make reusable cups the default for to-go drinks. Unlike previous tests that required customers to opt in, this project aims to integrate reusables into everyday habits.

Beginning in August, Starbucks will lead a city-wide effort with various partners, including The Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo, Peet’s Coffee, Yum! Brands, local cafes, restaurants, and community groups. The initiative, known as the Petaluma Reusable Cup Project, is supported by the NextGen Consortium and managed by the Center for the Circular Economy at Closed Loop Partners.

For three months, eight Starbucks locations and 30 other cafes in Petaluma will offer reusable cups for all drinks. Customers can return used cups at over 60 drop-off bins throughout the city. These cups will be cleaned, sanitised, and reused.

The test features purple branded cups, with Starbucks cups marked white in front and purple in back. All cups are made from BPA-free polypropylene. The goal is to make reusable cups convenient and standard by having numerous return points and broad community support.

Helen Kao, Starbucks' director of reusables, explains that this project aims to make reusable cups a cultural norm. "Last year, Starbucks conducted a similar test in the same area, but we tested on our own. This year, we expanded on that through our partnership with NextGen Consortium to drive systems change. What if we saturated a community, and reusables became the cultural norm? Now it’s an ecosystem of global brands, local businesses, city leaders and community groups working together. The industry is realizing that it’s easier to partner than do things alone.”