Starbucks redesigns its iconic white takeaway cup in Europe for rollout across the region
Starbucks EMEA partners with Transcend Packaging, Qwarzo® and Metsä Board to introduce a new home compostable hot cup and lid that are also widely recyclable
The cup was designed and created in Wales, made possible by technology developed in Italy
The phased rollout will begin this month across select European markets, providing customers with a compostable and recyclable alternative for when they don’t have a reusable cup
The cup is initially available in ten European countries including Italy, Germany, France, Sweden, Switzerland, Austria, Spain, Portugal and Hungary, before coming to the UK and Ireland later this year
The most exciting iteration of Starbucks iconic white cup has been launched today in Europe. An extensive R&D effort and significant innovations in the cup manufacturing process have culminated in the replacement of the cup’s plastic lining with a mineral-based coating. The single-use plastic lids have also been replaced with fibre alternatives, coated with the same mineral-based material.
It’s the same familiar Starbucks design, but your hot cup is now certified home compostable and widely recyclable. The new hot cup delivers the same premium experience for customers, without creating extra work or difficulties for store partners (employees).
A common challenge with plastic-lined coffee cups is that they may be difficult to recycle, with the plastic lining needing to be separated from the paper cup. Many mainstream recycling and waste management facilities lack the technology to separate the materials, often requiring investment in dedicated coffee cup deposit and recycling schemes. This new cup and lid can be recycled in recycling bins or composted at home, leaving no harmful residue to people or nature behind.
A pan-European effort, the new cup is created using traceable wood fibre from Northern European forests together with a mineral-based coating developed in Brescia, Italy. The cup was designed and constructed at Transcend’s factory, located in Ystrad Mynach, Caerphilly, Wales.
Through a phased approach, the new hot cup and lid solution will gradually now be rolled out in stores across select European markets this year; beginning in ten initial countries including Italy, Germany, France, Sweden, Switzerland and Austria this month, and already live in Spain and Hungary, before coming to the UK and Ireland later this year.
Duncan Moir, President, Starbucks EMEA: “Our hot cup solution is the first introduction of this emerging technology applied to a coffee cup at scale. Starbucks new hot cup in Europe provides a widely recyclable and home compostable alternative for when customers don’t have a reusable cup. I am really proud of the team that has worked to develop this innovative solution, and I am so excited to see it in the hands of our customers in Europe as they enjoy their coffee. We are keen to learn more from this rollout and remain focused on introducing more sustainable innovations to meet the shifting requirements of markets worldwide.”
Vincent Mooij, Director of Circpack by Veolia: “We’re pleased to see Starbucks taking tangible steps toward reducing plastic waste by removing the plastic lining from their cups. One of the challenges with plastic-lined coffee cups is that they produce waste during the pulping process, resulting in lower yields at paper mills and more waste ending up in landfills or incinerators. By making it easier to process through existing recycling infrastructure, this innovation supports real progress in reducing plastic waste while improving material recovery.”
Lorenzo Angelucci, CEO, Transcend Packaging: “Starbucks and the Europe go-to-market commitment it has made in this new technology allows us to demonstrate the transformative potential of the packaging solution we have developed. We welcome Starbucks courage in innovation to redesign and totally transform its packaging production processes, creating a premium new product while removing the plastic lining in coffee cups and swapping to fibre lids.”
Sander Defruyt, Lead of Strategy & Thought Leadership for the Plastics Initiative, Ellen MacArthur Foundation :“In addition to promoting and incentivising the use of reusable cups, it’s great to see Starbucks investing in innovation for its paper takeaway cups and lids. Companies like Starbucks are demonstrating how industry can drive market change by incentivising reuse and designing widely recyclable and compostable packaging. It is important for the sector to start transitioning in this way as this would enable better collection, reduce consumer confusion, and boost actual reuse, recycling and composting rates.”
Starbucks continues to operate a reusables-first approach across its stores, which includes rewarding customers who bring their own reusable cup with discounts and providing in-store ceramic offerings for hot drinks in the majority of its European locations. Starbucks EMEA has been offering a discount on beverages served in a reusable cup since first entering the region over 25 years ago. This European rollout of the new hot cup is another step on that journey, providing a compostable and recyclable packaging solution that is compliant with EU and UK packaging legislation.
Starbucks continues to innovate and test packaging solutions to meet a range of local government requirements and waste infrastructure in communities around the world, and the new hot paper cups and lids are an example of this. Since the introduction of Starbucks first branded paper cups in the 1980s the coffee company has continually reimagined the cup to elevate the customer experience whilst defining the brand’s identity. Over the decades, this iconic symbol has evolved in celebration of the brand’s milestones. Each iteration tells a story of progress and possibility, and this latest cup is no different.
For more information on the design, materials and certifications of our new cup and lid please visit https://starbucks.onecupbigchange.com/ for more information.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
The cup and lid are compliant with local laws and rules on home compostability and recyclability in Europe.
The challenge
Single-use hot and cold cups have presented persistent challenges due to their plastic-paper, mixed-material composition. In addition, local requirements and waste infrastructure varies widely by location making it difficult for a global company like Starbucks to adopt and scale a single cup solution.
The solution
Together with Starbucks, Transcend Packaging set out to develop a hot cup that removed the commonly used plastic lining. An extensive R&D effort and significant innovations in the cup manufacturing process has allowed us to replace the plastic lining with a mineral-based coating, without compromising on the customer experience.
Starbucks collaboration with Transcend has been key to unlocking this new solution, with teams from both working closely over the past three years to iterate through dozens of designs, subjecting prototypes to thousands of hours of testing and to unlock and bring online new manufacturing capabilities to upscale production.
The new patented Qwarzo® coating found on the inside of the hot cup and outer layer of the lid is silica-based and provides a waterproof barrier that is highly resistant to heat.
Silica is the same mineral that’s used globally in a wide range of basic foodstuffs, found more commonly as an anti-caking agent in everyday household products such as flour, protein powder and spice mixes. Silica is widely regarded as food safe, having been approved by various regulatory authorities since the 1960s.
The new pulp fibre lid is designed to maintain its shape and strength, even when in contact with hot liquids.
About Transcend
A pioneer in the production of sustainable single-use packaging, Transcend Packaging has been selected as the European production base for Starbucks new hot cup and lid.
About Qwarzo®
The new mineral-based coating is produced by Qwarzo®, whose advanced, patented coating technology is applied to the inner layer of the new paper cup and outer layer of the fibre lid to provide a waterproof barrier that is recyclable and home compostable without comprising on the customer experience.
Critically, the Qwarzo® mineral-based coating allows the cup and lid to be processed in existing waste-management and recycling systems, across Europe without the need for any extra spending or upgrades from national or local authorities.
About Metsä Board
The new hot cup paperboard is provided by Metsä Board. The paperboard is made from traceable wood fibre from Northern European forests. All the wood raw material used in the cup comes from forest origins covered with PEFC (PEFC/02-31-03) and/or FSC® (FSC-C014476) certification. It is certified as home compostable by DIN CERTCO.
About The Ellen MacArthur Foundation
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation is an international charity whose mission is to accelerate the transition to a circular economy in order to tackle some of the biggest challenges of our time, such as climate change, biodiversity loss, waste, and pollution.
Launched in 2010, we work with our Network of private and public sector decision-makers, as well as academia, to build capacity, explore collaborative opportunities, and design and develop circular economy initiatives and solutions.
Increasingly based on renewable energy, a circular economy is driven by design to eliminate waste and pollution, circulate products and materials at their highest value, and regenerate nature, to create resilience and prosperity for business, the environment, and people.
We bring together private and public sector decision-makers, including businesses, governments, and academia, to create the world’s leading circular economy network. The Foundation produces research, resources, and tools to explore, develop, and support solutions that can help us realise a circular transformation.
There are now more than 3,000 participants in our Network, spanning businesses, organisations, governments, and institutions across 126 countries in five continents – all working towards creating a circular economy.
Through collaboration, our work in key areas such as plastics, food, and fashion, shows real change can happen. It now needs to happen faster and on a much greater scale.
Since its creation, the Foundation has emerged as a global thought leader, putting the circular economy on the agenda of decision-makers around the world.
In October 2023, we received a Champions of the Earth award – the UN’s highest environmental honour – in recognition of our work inspiring circular economy solutions to tackle the climate crisis, biodiversity loss, plastic pollution, and more.
Further information: www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org | The Circular Economy Show Podcast
About Starbucks
Since 1971, Starbucks Coffee Company has been committed to ethically sourcing and roasting high-quality arabica coffee. Today, with more than 40,000 stores worldwide, the company is the premier roaster and retailer of specialty coffee in the world. Through our unwavering commitment to excellence and our guiding principles, we bring the unique Starbucks Experience to life for every customer through every cup.