April 22, 2022 is Earth Day. A short-term perk is that Starbucks is offering a 30% discount on drinkware at participating stores today. Additionally, a bigger green initiative kicks off this Friday for U.S.-based Starbucks Rewards members. A fan of their joe can start bringing in a clean, reusable cup to enable a Starbucks barista to prepare a beverage of choice using a contactless, new method, according to information which was provided on Starbucks’ website.
Rewards loyalty program members will receive a $.10 discount on their beverage for participating. To sweeten the sustainable-minded deal, 25 Stars—which are redeemable for perks such as “a free customization like an extra shot of espresso or dash of your favorite syrup”—will be added when an order is placed inside of one of Starbucks cafés. The offer is not yet available at drive-thrus. Remember to bring a personal cup to use at the store.
COVID-19 caused Starbucks to stop filling customers’ personal cups in 2020. As pandemic restrictions loosen, the chain is charming loyal customers to resume the practice, while letting potential new ones know that buying a cup of joe there may come with rewards.
If you are wondering how the new plan to encourage reusable mug use is supposed to work inside of stores, the breakdown was illustrated in a video. The Starbucks barista should inspect the cleanliness of the cup before placing it inside of a ceramic mug. After the beverage is prepared without contact, a customer is supposed to pick up his or her reusable cup, then affix the lid. He or she would be ready to grab it and go. Per information provided by Starbucks, trays and ceramic cups which are used for personal cups would be washed and sterilized in store locations.
Starbucks has been testing other ways of cutting down on disposable cup use in select locations before Earth Day. From March 30 until May 31, 2021, five Seattle-based stores provided an alternative to customers through the Borrow a Cup program. They had the option of paying a $1 deposit to receive their Starbuck beverages in reusable cups. Participants returned them to “a participating store’s contactless kiosk or at-home through a Seattle-area service called Ridwell,” per information provided by Starbucks.
If you are attached to the iconic Starbucks paper cup, it could be making a gradual exit. According to more information provided by Starbucks online, the retailer’s reason for encouraging customers to select the reusable cup option is to reduce single-use cup waste. The company is testing more methods to reduce waste by using single cups by 50%. Starbucks is striving to achieve this goal by 2030.
