A redesign of plastic cups used by Starbucks Corp. expects to cut resin consumption by 13.5 million pounds per year.
The Seattle-based company has been able to cut the weight of the cups by 10 to 20 percent, depending on the size, compared with previous cups used Starbucks.
Starbucks has famously spent years trying to figure out a solution that would make its disposable paper cups recyclable, but the use of a polyethylene liner has proven to be an obstacle. This project targets iced drinks.
While many people may still most associate Starbucks with hot drinks — it is the No. 1 coffee chain in the world after all — the truth is that the company's sales have changed over time.
Cold drinks, both coffee and otherwise, now account for 75 percent of sales. That's up from 37 percent in 2013, according to the Associated Press. So the reduction of resin on the cold drink side of the business is more impactful regarding the amount of plastic used these days.
Starbucks, in a story on the company's website discussing the plastic reduction, said the redesign also allows for the use of the same size lid for the company's tall, grande and venti cups. Tall cups, which previously had "multiple lid options" were redesigned and grande and venti cups previously shared a lid size, the company said.
Starbucks, along with many other quick-service restaurants, uses clear polypropylene cups. With the influx of colorful drink choices and new flavors in recent years, the use of PP has been touted as a way to showcase the drinks.
Restaurants such as Wendy's and McDonald's, have migrated away from the use of opaque cold drink cups over time, for example. And Berry Global Group Inc., a supplier of cups to Wendy's, has touted the clear PP cup as a way to better way to highlight the appearance and improve the eye appeal of cold drinks.