Starbucks Japan to reduce plastic usage

Starbucks Japan announced four measures to help reduce plastic usage in their stores as part of the company’s global effort to reduce waste by 50 percent by 2030.

Beginning April 18, 106 Starbucks stores in Japan will start offering iced beverages in glasses for those drinking them in-store. Customers who wish to use disposable cups may do so upon request.

Also starting from April 18, 113 stores will no longer provide plastic lids in serving iced drinks in cups, except for children’s drinks. However, plastic lids will remain for all hot drinks to make them easier to carry and prevent scalding. Plastic lids will also still be available to requesting customers.

The third measure is offering reusable tumblers that can be rented.

Starbucks Japan’s stainless steel rental tumblers are available for people who order drinks to go, who can rent them for three days before returning them to the store.

The fourth measure is to introduce more eco-friendly cutlery and utensils, which are either reusable or made from 100 percent plant-derived materials

Starbucks Japan has been making its stores environmentally friendly, such as replacing plastic straws with paper ones, and recycling paper cups into cute notebooks.