Starbucks keeps expanding its experiments with sustainable packaging (for a previous iteration, see the September 2023 abstract, “Reusable Cups that Consumers Can’t Forget at Home: A New Starbucks Experiment”). Most recently, it has begun testing a reusable, returnable cup program in several locations in the city of Petaluma, Calif. Customers visiting the pilot locations can now choose to receive purple, reusable cups filled with their favorite Starbucks beverages, which they can return to designated kiosks after finishing their drink. The three-month pilot project will run until the end of October, supported by the presence of 60 return bins, places strategically throughout the city. Once returned, the cups get collected, professionally cleaned, and redistributed for future use. To incentivize customers’ participation, Starbucks offers a deposit refund for each cup return, as well as additional rewards through its loyalty program. This effort represents yet another element of Starbucks’s broader strategy to cut waste by 50 percent by 2030, as well as its continued commitment to environmental responsibility and sustainable practices.

Sources: Lucille Barilla, “Starbucks Introduces a Reusable, Returnable Cup in a City-Wide Test,” Retail Wire, July 9, 2024