Starting January 3, 2024, customers will be able to use their own clean,personal cup at all company-operated stores and participatinglicensed stores in the US and Canada.
Starbucks Coffee Company has announced that,starting today, customers at all company-operated and participating licensedStarbucks stores across the US and Canada can use their own clean,personal cup when ordering in cafés, in drive-thrus or when ordering ahead withthe Starbucks app. With the majority of Starbucks beverages enjoyed on the go,this milestone unlocks a big opportunity for customers to choose reusables andsupports Starbucks’ commitment to reduce waste by 50 percent by2030.
“At Starbucks, we envision a future where every beverage can be served in areusable cup,” said MichaelKobori, Starbucks’chief sustainability officer. “Offering customers more options to use a personalcup when they visit Starbucks marks tangible progress towards the future. Weknow our customers are passionate about the planet; and now, they can join us inour efforts to give more than wetake,no matter how they order.”
Starbucks is the first national coffeehouse in the US to offer customers theoption to use their personal cup when mobile ordering. In Canada, Starbucks isthe first to offer customers the option to use their personal cup in mobileordering for all drinks and all sizes. This is part of a larger culturalmovement the company is leading to shift toward reusables and away fromsingle-use plastics by making it convenient for customers to use their ownpersonal cup for every visit.
As a founding member of Closed Loop Partners’ NextGenConsortium,Starbucks has been working to identify, accelerate and scale commerciallyviable, circular foodservice packagingsolutionssince 2018. And with most Starbucks beverages purchased on the go, the companycontinues to test how to best encourage customers to shift toward reusables.
Choosing reusables is a new habit for many customers; and Starbucks’behavioral-science research shows ease and convenience are foundational for easeof adoption. Since 2021, Starbucks has been testing the 100 percent reusablesmodel across more than 25 markets — including Japan, Singapore,London, South Korea and three US cities. In 2022, Starbucks beganphasing out its ubiquitous, green-and-white disposable coffeecupand introducing various incentives for customers to either bring their own cupsor choose a reusable one, and disincentives for using disposable options —including a disposable-cup fee and discounted prices for customers who used aceramic Starbucks mug in stores. This is the latest expansion of the program —following further reusablespilotsin 2023 in Arizona, California and Colorado.
"As we know, the most sustainable cup is likely the one you already own.Bringing your own cup to stores is a critical step toward reducing single-usepackaging waste. Starbucks is a leader in this work, as the first nationalretailer of scale to offer personal cup ordering in every channel, includingmobile order,” says Kate Daly, ManagingDirector and Head of the Center for the Circular Economy at Closed LoopPartners. “The NextGen Consortium is proud to have Starbucks as a foundingmember and looks forward to supporting Starbucks in their work to advance awaste-free world.”
How it works
Customers at participating stores in the US and Canada who bring any clean,personal cup will receive a $0.10 discount on their beverage; and in the US,Starbucks Rewards members will receive 25 Bonus Stars.*
In café, customers tell the barista when they order that they brought theirown personal cup. Customers choosing to sit and stay in café can alsorequest a reusable ceramic or glass cup at most stores. To ensure properportioning when serving beverages in non-standard drinkware, baristas willbuild beverages using a new, custom beverage-craft smallware that hasstandardized lines need for measurements before pouring the beverage intothe customer’s personal cup and adding any toppings.
In drive-thru, while ordering, customers order their beverage as usual, andlet the barista know they brought their own cup. At the pickup window,baristas will collect customers’ personal cup without the lid using acontactless vessel to ensure hygiene and safety. The beverage will bereturned the same way.
When customers order via the Starbucks app, first they will hit the“Customization” button and then select “Personal Cup” in the customizationmenu and continue ordering as normal. When they get to the store, customersconnect with their barista at the pickup area, and hand over their cleanpersonal cup without the lid. The barista will serve the beverage, add anyfinishing touches and pass it back in a contactless vessel.
Designed with partners and customers in mind
Starbucks says its personal-cup program is possible thanks to itstest-and-learn approach, informed by partners (employees) in Starbucks TryerInnovation Lab and at pilot locations across the US.
During a successful personal cup test at 200 drive-thru stores acrossColoradolast spring, Starbucks store partners informed and helped co-design the custom,reusable-cup smallware all stores will now use to transfer orders to personalcups.
Starbucks says partners talking to customers in stores about the ease of andincentives for bringing a personal cup will be key to bringing customer behaviorchange to life.
“As long as we are following all our procedures and steps, it doesn’t add anymore time — and it is actually making customers happier,” said Brook, a partnerwho worked at a store that participated in the Colorado test. “This has been areally big hit.”
Starbucks says it has more reusables tests planned in stores around the world inthe year ahead.
*Valid at participating stores on in-store, drive-thru, or in-app beverage purchases only (max 3x per day).
