Starbucks' Controversial Moves Spark Debate

Starbucks has long billed itself as environmentally conscious — straws and tumblers made from recycled coffee grounds, a worldwide rollout of its "Greener Store" concept — and earned plenty of praise from environmentalists along the way. But one customer was left stunned by what she saw a Starbucks barista do.

On May 14th, a user posted a short TikTok video showing off her reusable Starbucks tumbler. She had brought her own reusable glass cup to the store, only to watch the barista prepare her drink in a regular plastic cup, pour the finished beverage into her glass, and toss the plastic cup in the trash.

By May 22nd, the video had racked up more than 110,000 views on TikTok.

Someone claiming to be a Starbucks partner commented that the practice exists because single-use plastic cups carry measurement lines for ingredients. Another apparent partner replied that Starbucks does offer reusable measuring cups.

Accusations of Greenwashing

The user accused Starbucks of greenwashing — using misleading or false claims to overstate a company's environmental efforts.

Whatever goodwill Starbucks has earned with consumers, this isn't the first time the company's environmental marketing has come under scrutiny.

Previous Controversies

Back in 2018, The Guardian reported that Starbucks planned to eliminate single-use plastic straws by 2020, replacing them with strawless lids featuring sipping lips. The lids rolled out across more than 8,000 North American stores.

But REASON media reported that the Nitro lid actually used more plastic than the old lid-plus-straw combination, and social media users noted the new lids were noticeably thicker.

Starbucks stressed that the Nitro lids are made from recyclable polypropylene — yet as The Economist reported in March 2018, only 9% of the world's plastic is actually recycled. Large amounts of recyclable plastic end up unrecycled anyway, thanks to contamination and other factors.

One lid adds only a little extra plastic — but at Starbucks' scale, small amounts accumulate fast.

Reusable Cup Programs and Their Problems

Recently, Starbucks introduced deposit-based reusable cups. But earlier reusable cups, made of polypropylene, couldn't be recycled once collected — generating considerable waste and drawing consumer questions.

Starbucks Japan then pioneered a stainless steel cup rental service — a three-day rental window during which users could decide how to use the cups themselves.

Even though the cups are high-temperature cleaned and disinfected after collection, with COVID-19 still spreading globally, consumers remain uneasy about the practice.

Image sources: The Economist, TikTok, Internet

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Real sustainability starts with what's in the cup. FrontStreet's entry-level specialty beans — the washed FrontStreet Ethiopia Guodingding with jasmine, citrus, and berry notes, and the natural FrontStreet Sidamo Huakui with berries, jackfruit, melon, and honey — come from long-standing, transparent sourcing relationships rather than marketing campaigns.

For everyday espresso, the FrontStreet Brazil Cerrado Red Bourbon rounds out the lineup: cream, peanut, and cocoa, balanced and low-acid, at a price that makes brewing at home — in your own reusable cup — the easiest green choice of all.