Starbucks Testing Recyclable, Compostable Hot Cup Technology

(RTTNews) - Intensifying its search for a more sustainable cup, Starbucks plans to start its first market tests for a recyclable and compostable hot cup solution this month as part of the NextGen Cup Challenge. This will help the coffee chain better manage its waste by ensuring more reuse and recycling.

Starbucks will conduct market tests with the cup technologies in select stores in five cities, including Seattle, San Francisco, New York, Vancouver and London.

The cup, being tested in select stores for a limited time, features an innovative cup liner, called BioPBS, which makes the cup certified compostable and recyclable. However, customers may not see any noticeable difference from the current cup.

The NextGen Consortium and NextGen Cup Challenge were established in 2018 to addresses single-use packaging waste globally by developing an industry-wide recyclable and compostable to-go cup solution. It is managed by New York-based investment firm Closed Loop Partners' Center for the Circular Economy. Starbucks and McDonald's are founding partners, while Coca-Cola, Yum! Brands, Nestlé and Wendy's are supporting partners.

The six-month Cup Challenge narrowed nearly 500 submissions from over 50 countries down to 12 winners. Two of the 12 Cup Challenge winners have begun pilots of their respective "smart" reusable cup systems in open environments across clusters of local cafes on a rolling basis.

In July 2019, Starbucks UK had launched the first ever airport reusable cup trial at Gatwick Airport in London in deal with the environmental nonprofit Hubbub. It said 7,000 disposable coffee cups could be saved from use through the trial, reducing paper cup waste.

Meanwhile, Starbucks temporarily suspended the use of personal cups and mugs at its North American outlets last week amid ongoing concerns of coronavirus outbreak. It has given customers discounts for new purchases for using their own cups since 1985.

Last week, Starbucks had issued a warning on second-quarter earnings and also trimmed its forecast for China reflecting the business disruption related to the ongoing coronavirus epidemic. In its second major market, where COVID-19 outbreak was first reported, the coffee chain has temporarily stopped development of new stores, and some store openings planned for 2020 will likely be deferred to 2021.