Starbucks' Controversial Moves Spark Debate

Starbucks has long been recognized for its environmental consciousness, often leading by example with initiatives such as straws and tumblers made from coffee grounds, while accelerating the global expansion of its "Greener Store" concept. These actions have earned Starbucks widespread praise from environmentalists. However, one customer was left stunned after witnessing a Starbucks barista's practices.

On May 14th, a user posted a short video on TikTok showcasing her reusable Starbucks tumbler. In the video, the user brought her own reusable glass cup to Starbucks, only to witness the employee prepare her drink in a regular plastic cup, pour the finished beverage into her glass cup, and then discard the plastic cup in the trash.

By May 22nd, this video had accumulated over 110,000 views on TikTok.

Someone claiming to be a Starbucks partner commented on the video, explaining that this practice exists because single-use plastic cups contain measurement lines for ingredients. Another apparent Starbucks partner responded that Starbucks does offer reusable measuring cups.

Accusations of Greenwashing

The user accused Starbucks of greenwashing—a term referring to when a company uses misleading or false methods to exaggerate its environmental efforts.

While Starbucks has made significant environmental contributions in the eyes of many consumers, this coffee giant's environmental marketing policies are not the first to face scrutiny.

Previous Environmental Controversies

As early as 2018, The Guardian reported that Starbucks planned to eliminate single-use plastic straws by 2020, introducing strawless plastic lids with sipping lips as an alternative. Starbucks rolled out these strawless lids across more than 8,000 stores in North America.

However, REASON media reported that Starbucks' Nitro lid actually used more plastic than the original combination of plastic lid and straw. Some social media users also noted that Starbucks' Nitro lids were noticeably thicker than previous versions.

Although Starbucks emphasized that the Nitro lids were made from recyclable plastic—polypropylene—The Economist reported in March 2018 that only 9% of plastic products worldwide are actually recycled. Large quantities of recyclable plastic ultimately end up not being recycled due to contamination and other factors.

While a single lid might only add a small amount of plastic, considering Starbucks' massive scale, these small additions quickly accumulate into significant quantities.

Reusable Cup Initiatives and Concerns

Recently, Starbucks introduced reusable cups that require a deposit. However, because earlier reusable cups were made from PP (polypropylene) and couldn't be recycled after collection, they generated considerable waste, raising questions from many consumers.

Subsequently, Starbucks Japan pioneered a stainless steel cup rental service, with a three-day rental period where users could decide how to use the cups during that time.

Even though Starbucks subjects these stainless steel cups to high-temperature cleaning and disinfection after collection, with COVID-19 still showing growth trends globally, consumers remain concerned about the practice.

Image sources: The Economist, TikTok, Internet

For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style).

For more specialty coffee beans, please add the private WeChat of FrontStreet Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee), WeChat ID: qjcoffeex

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473