Starbucks Coffee Company
Packaging producers and users
Key Metrics
Plastic packaging weight
118,811 metric tonnes
Total and/or virgin plastic packaging reduction target
20% virgin reduction compared to 2019
Reusable plastic packaging
Reusable, recyclable or compostable plastic packaging
100
75
50
25
%
Post-consumer recycled content
100
75
50
25
%
* Aligned: in assessing the recyclability of their portfolio this signatory has aligned with the New Plastics Economy 2021 Recycling Rate Survey results and/or the Global Commitment methodology of recyclability ‘in pratice and at scale’. This means their recyclability percentage is comparable to other signatories that also aligned with the above.
Company Details
Description
Starbucks is the leading roaster and retailer of premium high quality arabica coffee with over 30, 000 retail stores in 80 markets, offering a range of exceptional products (coffee, handcrafted beverages, merchandise, fresh food, packaged whole bean and ground coffee and ready-to-drink beverages).
Website
Revenue band (USD)
> $10 billion
Headquarters location
United States
Regions active
Africa: Northern Africa, Southern Africa
America: Caribbean, Central America, Northern America, South America
Asia: Eastern Asia, Central Asia, South-eastern Asia, Southern Asia, Western Asia
Europe: Eastern Europe, Northern Europe, Southern Europe, Western Europe
Oceania: Australia and New Zealand
Products sold in plastic packaging
Food & nutrition, Non-alcoholic beverages
Reporting details
Data verification/assurance status
No third-party verification or assurance in place
Scope of reported data
Does not cover the full scope of activities (see endnotes for more information)
12-month quantitative data time frame
From September 2019 to September 2020
Joined the Global Commitment
January 2020
Ellen MacArthur Foundation's Plastics Pact Network membership (as of 18/05/2021)
Netherlands, United States
Webpage or report addressing progress
https://stories.starbucks.com/uploads/2021/04/Starbucks-2020-Global-Environmental-and-Social-Impact-Report.pdf
Plastic packaging portfolio details
See endnotes for more information on quantitative data
Plastic packaging weight (new packaging)
118,811 metric tonnes
Reused plastic packaging weight
0 metric tonnes
Plastic packaging categories in portfolio
Type | Category | Proportion |
---|
Rigids | PET bottle | 3% |
PET thermoforms | 0% | |
HDPE bottles | 3% | |
HDPE other rigids | 0% | |
PP bottles | 14% | |
PP other rigids | 67% | |
PS rigids | 0% | |
PVC rigids | 3% |
Flexible | >A4 mono-materials PE in B2B context | 3% |
<A4 flexibles PE | 1% | |
<A4 flexibles PP | 2% |
Other | PLA straws, cold cups, and lids | 3% |
Plastic packaging design assessment
Reusable, recyclable and/or compostable
20.6%
Reusable
0.9%
Recyclable
18.8%
Compostable
0.9%
Material sourcing
Virgin fossil-based content
99.1%
Post-consumer recycled content
0%
Pre-consumer recycled content
0%
Virgin renewable content
0.9%
Link to other published data
WWF ReSource Plastic – Transparency 2020 Report at https://resource-plastic.com/pdf/Transparent2020.pdf
Commitments
Plastic and/or virgin plastic packaging reduction target
2025 target
20% virgin reduction compared to 2019
Plastic packaging weight baseline
130,245 metric tonnes - same scope as the reporting scope (see endnotes for more information)
Additional information about the target
Reusables, light weighting redesign, incorporate recycled content, and eliminate unnecessary plastic packaging
Eliminating problematic or unnecessary plastic packaging
Progress made over the reporting period
Examples of materials / formats / components eliminated or reduced
Proportion eliminated % of weight | Weight eliminated metric tonnes | Quantity eliminated units | Primary means of elimination | Other details | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Single-use straws | - | - | - | Innovative elimination | We are in the process of eliminating fossil-fuel derived plastic straws. In our effort to eliminate one billion plastic straws a year, in FY20, we completed the rollout of strawless lids across the U.S. and Canada, which we modeled after our hot drink lid and has approximately 9% less plastic than the flat lid and straw historically used for iced beverages. Starbucks will continue to provide straws to customers who need or request them in our stores. |
Activities and progress made on elimination
In July 2018, Starbucks announced it would phase out fossil fuel derived plastic straws from more than 30, 000 stores worldwide by 2020. In 2019, Starbucks continued the expansion of lightweight strawless lids for cold beverages, as well as rollout of alternative material straws. Regulatory and manufacturing challenges in light of COVID-19 threatened the ability to fully roll out a new sustainable material straw in the U.S. and Canada by the end of 2020, with a new anticipated goal date of 2021. In FY20, we completed the rollout of strawless lids across the U.S. and Canada, which we modeled after our hot drink lid and has approximately 9% less plastic than the flat lid and straw historically used for iced beverages. Starbucks will continue to provide straws to customers who need or request them in our stores.
Planned actions by 2025
Plastic packaging to be eliminated or reduced
Proportion eliminated % of weight | Weight eliminated metric tonnes | Quantity eliminated | Year Achieved | Other details | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
PS | 100% | - | - | 2025 | - |
PVC | 100% | - | - | 2025 | - |
PVDC | 100% | - | - | 2025 | - |
Single-use straws | 100% | - | - | 2021 | Starbucks plans to eliminate fossil-fuel derived plastic straws by the end of 2021. |
Undetectable carbon black | 100% | - | - | 2025 | - |
Planned actions on elimination
In our effort to eliminate one billion plastic straws a year, we are eliminating fossil fuel derived plastic straws by the end of 2021. Starbucks has a plastic reduction project underway to lightweight its cold cup and a second phase of the project to incorporate recycled content into the new cold cup. Starbucks is continuing R&D efforts to find alternative materials for difficult-to-recover plastics in items such as our plastic stoppers and the plastic liner of our hot coffee cup.
Moving from single-use towards reuse models
Progress made over the reporting period
Share of plastic packaging that is reusable (2020)
Availability of reuse models today
Recent or in-progress pilots of reuse models for new products or packaging, Reuse models in place for consumer facing products or packaging
Product line(s) with reuse model(s): 1 (25% of total) (see endonotes for more information)
Market(s) where reuse models are available today: Northern Africa, Southern Africa, Caribbean, Central America, Northern America, South America, Eastern Asia, Central Asia, South-eastern Asia, Southern Asia, Western Asia, Eastern Europe, Northern Europe, Southern Europe, Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand (100% of total)
Product applications and reuse model types
Reuse model types | Markets | Other details | |
---|---|---|---|
Non-alcoholic beverages | Refill on the go, Return on the go, Return from home | Stores in all of our markets offer "for here" ware for handcrafted beverages. In FY21, we piloted two "borrow a cup" programs in the U.S., and a similar program on JeJu island, South Korea . | We offer our handcrafted beverages in “for here” ware in ceramic mugs. Due to Covid-19 health and safety restrictions this offering was paused in many markets in the Spring of 2020. |
Pilots launched
1
Activities and progress made on reuse
COVID-19 safety measures challenged our ability to allow customers and partners to use personal cups and “for here” ware in our stores, and we paused on those initiatives while using FY20 to conduct consumer and market research to better understand how best to incentivize the use of reusables. In FY20, 1.3% of beverages sold were in reusable cups, either a customer’s personal cup or “for here” ware, in company-operated stores in Canada, EMEA, Japan and the U.S. Meanwhile, we tested single-use cup fees in UK and Germany. In August 2020, Within the U.K., Starbucks EMEA is one of the first large scale coffee houses to bring back the use of personal cups with a completely contactless process to address health and safety concerns of the transmission of the COVID-19 virus. COVID-19 safety measures challenged our ability to allow customers and partners to use personal cups and “for here” ware in our stores, and we paused on those initiatives while using FY20 to conduct consumer and market research to better understand how best to incentivize the use of reusables. In FY20, 1.3% of beverages sold were in reusable cups, either a customer’s personal cup or “for here” ware, in company-operated stores in Canada, EMEA, Japan and the U.S. Meanwhile, we tested single-use cup fees in UK and Germany. In August 2020, Within the U.K., Starbucks EMEA is one of the first large scale coffee houses to bring back the use of personal cups with a completely contactless process to address health and safety concerns of the transmission of the COVID-19 virus.
Planned action by 2025
Product applications and reuse model types to be introduced or expanded
Reuse model types | Markets | Other details | |
---|---|---|---|
Non-alcoholic beverages | Refill on the go, Return on the go | EMEA region to offer reusable cup-share program in all stores by 2025. In Japan we are shifting to reusable cups and in South Korea we aim to eliminate single-use cups from all stores by 2025. | The Cup-Share initiative is part of the company’s ongoing approach to encourage customers to use reusables which includes a paper cup surcharge, reusables discount and in store ceramic offerings. |
Other 2025 reuse goals
Piloting reuse models for new products or packaging: 25 pilots
Introducing or expanding reuse models for non-consumer facing packaging
Introducing or expanding reuse models for consumer facing products/packaging
Implementing reuse models across a minimum number of retail stores: 30000 retail stores (100% of total)
Delivering a target percentage of units sold via reuse models
See endnotes for more information on the above target(s)
Planned actions on reuse
In June 2021, Starbucks announced that it will introduce a unique reusable Cup-Share program in all 3,840 stores in Europe, Middle East, and Africa by 2025. In April 2021, Starbucks announced that we plan to fully discontinue single-use cups in all stores across South Korea by 2025 and the company will gradually introduce cup share programs across the market to encourage reusability. In the U.S., in spring 2021, building on learnings from single-store tests earlier in FY21, Starbucks is scaling its Borrow A Cup program to five stores in Seattle. The program provides customers the option to receive their beverage in a reusable cup and return it at a participating store’s contactless kiosk or at-home through a Seattle-area service called Ridwell. The challenge is how to make choosing reusables as convenient as you expect from Starbucks – no extra steps – especially with 80% of Starbucks beverages being enjoyed on the go.
100% reusable, recyclable and/or compostable plastic packaging
Progress made over the reporting period
Share of plastic packaging that is reusable, recyclable or compostable (2020)
Actions and progress made to make packaging recyclable or compostable (see previous section for progress on shifting to reusable packaging)
In partnership with Closed Loop Partners and the NextGen Consortium, we worked in FY20 toward our goal to develop 100% compostable and recyclable hot cups. In FY20, five new markets joined the list of major markets where Starbucks hot cups are recyclable: Kent County, MI.; Lansing, MI.; Sioux Falls, SD; St. Lucie County, FL; and Athens County, GA. They join 13 other major markets. In FY20 we completed the rollout of strawless lids across the U.S. and Canada, which we modelled after our hot drink lid and has approximately 9% less plastic than the flat lid and straw historically used for iced beverages. Unlike traditional plastic straws, the strawless lids can be recycled in many markets in the U.S. and Canada. In partnership with Closed Loop Partners and the NextGen Consortium, we worked in FY20 toward our goal to develop 100% compostable and recyclable hot cups. In FY20, five new markets joined the list of major markets where Starbucks hot cups are recyclable: Kent County, MI.; Lansing, MI.; Sioux Falls, SD; St. Lucie County, FL; and Athens County, GA. They join 13 other major markets. In FY20 we completed the rollout of strawless lids across the U.S. and Canada, which we modelled after our hot drink lid and has approximately 9% less plastic than the flat lid and straw historically used for iced beverages. Unlike traditional plastic straws, the strawless lids can be recycled in many markets in the U.S. and Canada.
Actions and progress made on collaborating towards increasing recycling and composting rates for plastic packaging
As part of our sustainability commitment, Starbucks is focusing on ways to better manage its waste, both in Starbucks stores and in the communities it serves by ensuring more reuse and recycling. Starbucks joined The Recycling Partnership, Closed Loop Partners, and WWF collective efforts to improve the circular economy of plastic packaging. Starbucks is working with Closed Loop Partners, the NextGen Consortium and other businesses on continuing to test and validate the recyclability of the various NextGen Challenge Cup winners, including the BioPBS™ cup. We signed the U.S. Plastics Pact as a call to action for a better waste infrastructure. In 2020, NextGen Consortium joined the Polypropylene Recycling Coalition. As part of our sustainability commitment, Starbucks is focusing on ways to better manage its waste, both in Starbucks stores and in the communities it serves by ensuring more reuse and recycling. Starbucks joined The Recycling Partnership, Closed Loop Partners, and WWF collective efforts to improve the circular economy of plastic packaging. Starbucks is working with Closed Loop Partners, the NextGen Consortium and other businesses on continuing to test and validate the recyclability of the various NextGen Challenge Cup winners, including the BioPBS™ cup. We signed the U.S. Plastics Pact as a call to action for a better waste infrastructure. In 2020, NextGen Consortium joined the Polypropylene Recycling Coalition.
Additional details on recyclability
Share of plastic packaging that is recyclable (2020)
Alignment with the New Plastics Economy 2021 Recycling Rate Survey results
Yes
Planned actions by 2025
2025 target
100% reusable, recyclable or compostable
Planned actions to make packaging recyclable or compostable
We are recommitting to the Next Gen Consortium, which we were a founding member of in 2018, with a new investment in their work. The consortium's work is going beyond hot cup liner innovation to include polypropylene recycling access for consumers, generation of recycled polypropylene, and reusable packaging systems. We are also undertaking efforts to identify recycle ready solutions for flexible films, and to certify non-certified materials for compostability.
Planned actions on collaborating towards increasing recycling and composting rates for plastic packaging
As part of its sustainability commitment, the company is focusing on ways to better manage its waste, both in Starbucks stores and in the communities it serves by ensuring more reuse and recycling. Starbucks joined The Recycling Partnership, Closed Loop Partners, and WWF collective efforts to improve the circular economy of plastic packaging. We also signed the U.S. Plastics Pact as a call to action for a better waste infrastructure.
Increasing post-consumer recycled content in plastic packaging
Progress made over the reporting period
Level of post-consumer recycled content in plastic packaging (2020)
Activities and progress made on post-consumer recycled content
The plastic packaging in salad bowls in the U.S. was updated to incorporate 25% PCR (post-consumer resin). We also launched a new Ethos water bottle that contains 20% PCR (post-consumer resin).
Planned actions by 2025
2025 post-consumer recycled content target
5%
Planned actions to increase post-consumer recycled content
Starbucks is continuing R&D efforts to find alternative materials for difficult-to-recover plastics, reduce plastic usage through lightweighting, and incorporate recycled plastic into our packaging. In FY21, Starbucks announced all Starbucks stores in Indonesia will gradually transition to cold cups made with rPET (recycled polyethylene terephthalate). Incorporating recycled material into the supply chain will eliminate the equivalent of over 200,000 kilograms of virgin plastic per year across over 460 stores in Indonesia, reaffirming the company’s commitment to contribute to Starbucks global aspiration to be a resource-positive company. Starbucks will become the first major food and beverage retailer in Indonesia to switch completely to rPET. Starbucks also plans to launch our Ethos water bottle with 100 percent PCR (post-consumer resin).
Investments
Total invested/committed over the reporting period towards achieving the commitments
None reported
End notes
Scope of reporting
Data represents packaging from direct operations and licensed stores and excludes Starbucks branded packaging not sold in our stores, except Evolution Fresh. Starbucks branded products sold outside of our stores is part of a licenced model of the Global Coffee Alliance with Nestlé, while our global ready-to-drink businesses operate under collaborative relationships with PepsiCo and others. The Starbucks branded packaging used by CPG partners are part of their commitments and reporting.
Interpreting the quantitative data submitted
Total plastic packaging decreased by 8.8% between FY19 and FY20. This level of annual reduction at this stage in our journey toward our 2025 targets was not anticipated and is due primarily to reduced business activity in FY20 as a result of COVID-19; it is not likely to be typical going forward. The results are also due, in part, to improvement of data availability and quality as we improve our environmental impact measurement process.
Product line definition
For product line(s) with available reuse model(s): Retail store product lines are categorized handcrafted beverages, ready-to-drink beverage, prepared food, ready-to-eat food.
Units sold to be derived from reuse models by 2025
We are currently assessing an appropriate target.