How well has Starbucks lived up to its commitment to “phase out” plastic straws?

As posted on WasteLessWednesday.

In July 2018 we posted the above #WasteLessWednesday gif to recognize Starbucks for its pledge to “phase out plastic straws from its more than 28,000 stores worldwide by 2020.”

When huge companies like Starbucks make an announcement to eliminate waste, sometimes they don’t always stick to their promises, or simply can’t reach their ambitious goals. It’s up to consumers like us to keep up the demand for corporate commitments like the one from Starbucks.

So how has Starbucks done? Well, here it is 2021 and sure enough the iconic green straw is gone—in its cold drinks. If you’ve been to Starbucks in the past year, you’ve probably noticed the straws in cold drinks have been replaced by recyclable plastic lids.

In fact, it’s been exactly one year since Starbucks announced on September 10, 2020, its lightweight strawless lid “will now be the standard for all iced coffee, tea, espresso, and Starbucks Refreshers® beverages.”

This doesn’t mean you won’t find straws at Starbucks. If you order a Pumpkin Spice Latte this fall chances are you’ll automatically get a straw, but if it’s Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew you crave, your drink should come with the strawless lid.

Has Starbucks lived up to its 2018 claim to phase out straws in its 28,000 stores? No. However, we applaud the packaging innovation Starbucks has implemented for its cold drinks. Whenever a huge company makes a significant change like this, they can change an entire industry. For example, when’s the last time you ordered a Big Mac and it came in a foam clam-shell package? It’s been 31 years since McDonald’s committed to phasing those out, and today, if you order a burger from a global fast-food chain, it will likely be wrapped in paper. When’s the last time you were asked “Paper or plastic?” at the grocery store? In 2008, Whole Foods became the first US grocery chain to stop offering plastic bags at checkout. Today, it’s common to bring in your own reusable grocery bags no matter where you shop for food.

Though Starbucks is far from going completely strawless, it’s made huge progress, eliminating, they estimate, some 1 billion straws from our waste stream every year. Strawless lids may be the default at Starbucks but customers can still receive a straw for their cold drinks on request. That’s an effective strategy straight out of Nudge, the popular psychology and behavioral economics book advocating for “default” and “opting-in or -out” solutions for positive change. Imagine how many straws Starbucks would be distributing with their cold drinks if customers had to request the strawless plastic lids? Instead, you have to request a straw with your cold Starbucks–if you really must have one. Another smart tactic by Starbucks is partnering with the reputable Ocean Conservancy nonprofit organization, which brings authenticity and legitimacy to the coffee company’s strawless ambitions. In fact, Starbucks just included the Ocean Conservancy in its recent announcement to welcome reusable cups back in its stores, post COVID-19.

#WLW Verdict: Bravo to Starbucks for keeping the positive changes coming. Now, what can we do about those little green “splash sticks” that that are pierced into every coffee order? We think we can live without those, and so does New York City. As for the rest of us, let’s keep up the demand for less waste, refuse disposables we don’t need and try to remember to bring our reusable cups for our next Starbucks. Recycle your lids and for heaven’s sake don’t litter those straws! A 2020 Keep America Beautiful study counted 222 million straws in our nation’s waterways, on our streets and scattered across our beautiful parks. Get new #WLW tips every week by following #WasteLessWednesday on our social media links below, and joining our movement here.