Starbucks Coffee Company, Alliance For Environmental Innovation Search For The Perfect Cup

(28 July, 1997 - Seattle, WA) Starbucks Coffee Company and the Alliance for Environmental Innovation today announced a partnership that will include in-store tests of several new environmentally preferable disposable coffee cups and will also promote increased use of reusable cups by Starbucks customers

The partnership is developing alternatives to disposable beverage cups in order to enhance Starbuck customers’ coffee experience and to generate environmental benefits. This summer, market tests will be conducted in Boston, Chicago and Seattle to help determine a design for a new, disposable Starbucks coffee cup. Three new cup designs will be tested during July, August, and September. A “winning” cup will be selected later this year. In an effort to increase the use of reusable cups in Starbucks stores, Starbucks and the Alliance will also be conducting several pilot tests of reusable cup systems over the same period.

“In the process of developing a new environmentally preferable disposable cup with the Alliance, we evaluated more than 40 different ideas and also came up with a few ideas of our own,” said Sue Mecklenburg, Starbucks director of environmental affairs. “We are eager to hear from our customers about what they think of the new designs.”

Starbucks presently uses disposable paper cups for “to-go” orders. Starbucks often provides a paper sleeve for hot coffee and tea beverages to ensure customer comfort.

“Subsituting reusable cups for disposable cups is an opportunity for Starbucks to break new ground,” said Ralph Earle, director of the Alliance for Environmental Innovation. “This effort will benefit the environment and enhance the Starbucks experience by making it convenient and attractive for Starbucks customers to drink their coffee in reusable cups.”

Starbucks and the Alliance established their joint Task Force in August 1996. Under the terms of their agreement, each organization will continue to pursue its own business and advocacy activities, will independently pay its own expenses, and can withdraw from the project at any time. The Task Force will publish a report summarizing the environmental, economic and other advantages of new cups and systems for serving coffee.

“We created the Alliance for Environmental Innovation with the Environmental Defense Fund to find ways to leverage environmental change in the business sector,” stated Joshua Reichert, director of environmental programs at The Pew Charitable Trusts. “This project is a perfect example of this concept in action.”

Starbucks Coffee Company is the leading retailer, roaster and brand of specialty coffee in North America. Starbucks strives to develop enthusiastically satisfied customers all of the time, while contributing positively to its communities and the environment.

The Alliance for Environmental Innovation (the Alliance) is a joint initiative of Environmental Defense and the Pew Charitable Trusts. The Alliance works cooperatively with private businesses to reduce waste and build environmental considerations into business decisions. By bringing the expertise and perspective of environmental scientists and economists together with the business skills of major corporations, the Alliance creates solutions that make environmental and business sense.