I’m a zombie in the morning without a piping hot cuppa and having said that, I am always on the run. So a travel mug, with delicious coffee in it, is an absolute must for me. I was super excited when I heard that Starbucks had launched a reusable and recycled cup. This is my new daily staple – read more below.
After launching the Starbucks Circular Cup in the UK last year. Starbucks is scaling up the reusable cup programme worldwide — including an initial limited edition launch in South Africa — as part of its reusables expansion.
Made from reclaimed materials from around six paper cups, the Starbucks Circular Cup has so far upcycled 450,000 single-use cups into this new reusable cup. The cup uses recycled plastic to further support a circular economy revolutionising how packaging is viewed, re-used, and recycled.
Using technology developed by a company in Cornwall, England (the location of the recent G7 Summit), the Starbucks Circular Cup is a practical example of Starbucks’ financial and operational commitment to its ongoing sustainability commitments and aspirations to become resource positive.
How used paper coffee cups get turned into a Starbucks Circular Cup
- Starbucks collects millions of single-use paper coffee cups in-store every year
- These cups are industrially cleaned and shredded
- The recycled paper is transformed into a recycled paper cup form
- These are blended with recycled plastic from ice cream tubs
- The resulting Starbucks Circular Cups are ready for customers to use and re-use
As the world becomes increasingly aware of the climate crisis and the need for responsible companies to make real, tangible, and measurable commitments to a carbon-neutral economy, it’s good to know that a major international coffee brand is leading the way.
Did You Know?
Starbucks stores in South Africa have been playing their part in a quest to decrease the number of single-use paper cups leaving its stores.
Key activities include:
- Starbucks South Africa was the first franchise coffee company to offer an incentive discount of R2 off beverages when using reusable cups.
- This is one of the first large-scale coffee houses within South Africa to promote personal cups.
- Starbucks stores across South Africa eliminate all plastic straws and introduce the strawless lid, removing the need for a straw altogether for their iced beverages.
- Starbucks commits to offering a reusable Cup-Share program in all Starbucks stores by 2025.
- They now offer an initial limited edition Circular Cup merchandise to customers.
