Starbucks Is Making Major Changes To Its Iconic Cups
A big change is coming to Starbucks, and anyone who buys their cold drinks will definitely notice it. Given long-stated Starbucks' mission to become more sustainable, they've just announced that they're introducing cold cups that are made with up to 20 percent less plastic.
The idea for the new plastic cups has been in the works for four years now. A team of researchers toiled away at Starbucks' innovation lab in Seattle to answer the question of how much plastic can be removed from a cup while still making it usable for customers.
According to Senior Packaging Engineer Kyle Walker, it was "a real Eureka moment" when they were able to create the perfect, sustainable cup.
“We invented new ways to test the cup that we didn’t have before,” said Walker in a statement. “Like, what if we take this feature and we move it up or down? Or what if we change the shape or the radius in this very small way? We were making all these micro adjustments and when we found the optimal combination, it was a real Eureka moment!”
In addition to using up to 20 percent less plastic, the new cups boast other benefits, particularly for baristas. For visually impaired people, the cups will have raised dots that signify the different sizes. Letters will be embossed on the bottom of the cup and there will also be black and white “fill lines" that can be seen against both light and dark beverages to help baristas with measurements.
Lastly—and this is arguably the most exciting change of all—the tall, grande, and venti cups will all use the same size lid!
You can expect to find the new cold cups at a Starbucks near you beginning this month.
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