Starbucks Announces Discontinuation of Disposable Cups in South Korea by 2025

On April 5th, Starbucks stated that its South Korean operations would cease the use of all single-use cups by 2025, in an effort to reduce its carbon footprint.

"Starbucks plans to fully discontinue single-use cups in all stores across South Korea by 2025 and the company will gradually introduce cup circularity programs across the market to encourage reusability. Starbucks will launch a reusable cup program in select stores in Jeju this summer, expanding it to additional locations over the next four years. The program provides customers their beverage in a reusable cup for a small deposit and allows them to scan their cup at a participating store’s contactless return kiosk. This program helps Starbucks shift from single use to reusable packaging, bringing the company one step closer to its global goal of cutting its landfill waste in half by 2030.​"

Starbucks has over 31,000 stores worldwide with 400,000 partners serving 100 million customers a week and the road ahead will require commitment and creativity from partners and customers across the globe as well as from entrepreneurs, non-profits and suppliers.

With the pandemic going almost all coffee shops are experiencing setbacks in sustainability efforts. As a versatile restaurant supply wholesaler, GBC offers various sustainable packaging solutions to meet your disposable and reusable needs. We are here to help businesses make a smooth transition towards sustainability.

Source: Starbucks Stories