Starbucks to accept reusable cups for customer drink orders

Starbucks Coffee Company announced that customers at all company-operated and participating licensed Starbucks stores across Canada and the U.S. can use their clean personal cup when ordering in café, in the drive-thru or when ordering ahead using the Starbucks app.

“At Starbucks, we envision a future where every beverage can be served in a reusable cup,” says Michael Kobori, Starbucks chief sustainability officer. “Offering customers more options to use a personal cup when they visit Starbucks marks tangible progress towards the future. We know our customers are passionate about the planet, and now, they can join us in our efforts to give more than we take, no matter how they order.” 

In Canada, Starbucks says that it is the first national coffee retailer to offer customers the option to use their personal cup in mobile order for all drinks and all sizes. This is part of a larger movement the company is leading to shift toward reusables and away from single-use plastics, making it convenient for customers to use their own personal cup for every visit.

"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-use packaging waste. Starbucks is a leader in this work, as the first national retailer of scale to offer personal cup ordering for all beverages and sizes in every channel, including mobile order,” says Kate Daly, managing director and head of the center for the circular economy at Closed Loop Partners. “The NextGen Consortium is proud to have Starbucks as a Founding Partner of the Consortium to reduce packaging waste and looks forward to supporting Starbucks in their work to advance a waste-free world.”