Leave no trace... Starbucks is testing out a reusable cups system at Gatwick Airport in London (and taking its Boy Scout commandment very seriously). Here's how it works:
- The pickup: For one month, a Starbucks will charge 5 pence for a paper cup, or you can drink from a reusable cup for free.
- The dropoff: There are 5 tubs around the terminal where you can drop your empty chalice. The press release makes it seem like there's no punishment if you forget to drop off (or steal) the cup (besides shame).
- The cleaning: The airport waste staff collects and tosses them in the dishwasher.
- The reason for it all: Starbucks uses 7M cups at that terminal each year. It says it can save 2K paper cups per month. Reminder: Paper cups are made of trees. It will take its learnings from here to scale beyond one single airport terminal.
One cafe latte with room for responsibility... Starbucks is killing-off plastic straws, has increased pay for employees, and put its employees through discrimination sensitivity training within the last two years. It's all to convince you to pay $4 for a Starbucks even if you think "coffee is coffee" (marketers can't stand those types).
Wanted: sustainable packaging for your dim sum... The combo of ecommerce and food delivery (@UberEats, @Doordash) means more packaging. So your curry dinner's six styrofoam tubs are popular, too. Delivery diets have become a packaging problem that we hope becomes an entrepreneur's opportunity. Some ways to do it:
- Recyclable packaging: Good start, but what happens when it's covered in chili paste?
- Package taxes: Since adding 10-cents to your plastic bag isn't loved, companies tend to avoid them (unless a law requires it). FYI, Maine and New York City just banned styrofoam.
- Compostable and reusable packaging: Even "luxe" packaging startups are getting into this.