The tall, grande, venti and trenta cups, which debut this month, will keep more than 13.5 million pounds of plastic from landfills each year.

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In the last four years, Kyle Walker has learned more about the Starbucks cold drink cup than he ever thought he needed to know. How much pressure can you apply to the top and the sides before it crumples? What’s the exact angle of a full cup right before it tips over when you slide it across the bar? What does a perfect lid-to-rim fit feel like?

And the most important question at the center of his team’s testing and research at a laboratory inside <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2019/inside-the-tryer-center-the-starbucks-lab-where-anything-is-possible/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">the Tryer Center</a>, Starbucks innovation hub in Seattle: How much plastic can you remove from a cup while making sure it still feels sturdy in a customer’s hand?&nbsp;&nbsp;

This April, Starbucks is proud to announce the debut of a lineup of more sustainable cold cups in stores across the U.S. and Canada. They're not only made with less plastic than previous cold cups, they are also projected to reduce emissions and conserve water in the production process, while streamlining the workflow for store partners (employees) by consolidating the lid combinations and simplifying storage.

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The new cups – the first single-use cups designed by Starbucks in the Tryer Center specifically to be more sustainable and accessible – are part of Starbucks commitment to cut its carbon, water and waste footprints in half by 2030. Also in that timeframe, Starbucks has committed to making sure all customer packaging is reusable, recyclable or compostable.&nbsp;

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Based on analysis of life cycle assessments, producing the new cups is projected to save, annually, emissions equivalent to taking about 5,200 cars off the road, and conserve about 2,800 Olympic-sized swimming pools of water. The new cups will keep more than 13.5 million pounds of plastic from landfills each year. And they cost less to make.

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By improving the sustainability of our single-use cups, we are making progress to achieve our 2030 resource-positive goals. For example, the new cups will:

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*Impact projections are estimated

The new tall, grande, venti and trenta-sized cups use 10 to 20 percent less plastic compared to previous cold cups.&nbsp;Feedback from store partners and customers informed the key features. Baristas made drinks in test and store settings, rating the feel and performance of different iterations. Customers responded to surveys via QR codes. &nbsp;

&nbsp;“We invented new ways to test the cup that we didn’t have before,” Walker remembers. “Like, what if we take this feature and we move it up or down? Or what if we change the shape or the radius in this very small way? We were making all these micro adjustments and when we found the optimal combination, it was a real Eureka moment!”&nbsp;

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Accessibility features were folded in. Raised dots signify different sizes that can be felt by a swipe of the thumb, for those with low visibility. Letters are embossed on the bottom of the cup, so baristas can quickly confirm what size they’re grabbing during a busy rush when all the cups are stacked upside down. Black and white “fill lines,” indicating measurement specifications, allow for contrast against both light- and dark-colored drinks. &nbsp;

And crucial for partners: the tall, grande and venti cups all use the same size lid. To achieve this, the tall cup was redesigned with a wider mouth and profile, to still hold the same 12 ounces. Previously, the tall cup had multiple lid options, and the grande and venti cups shared a different lid.

The multiple lids had to be stored and stocked separately, which created clutter and took up valuable shelf space. Sleeves of the new cups will also be color-coded instead of coming in clear bags, helping with identification. The trenta size will use a different lid.&nbsp;

“We’re in the efficiency business,” says Kristi H., a 26-year partner and store manager in Washington state, whose team tested the cup as it was being developed. “Anytime we can streamline or shave seconds off our operations, it frees us up to have more human connections with our customers, and just have more fun at work. ...&nbsp;

“Anytime we can get behind anything with less of an environmental footprint is huge. It’s a small step to the bigger good.”

Photos by Connor Surdi, illustrations by Kelly Fulton

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The tall, grande, venti and trenta cups, which debut this month, will keep more than 13.5 million pounds from landfills each year.

New, more sustainable Starbucks cold cups are made with up to 20 percent less plastic - Starbucks Stories

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For the first time in 10 years, Starbucks is debuting new whole bean coffee packaging designs inspired by the people, moments and experiences associated with each blend. Created by Starbucks talented design team and still the same delicious coffee our customers enjoy, each packaging redesign tells a unique story about the coffee roast’s origin and tasting notes.

Read on for details about each of the five new coffee bag designs.

Starbucks® Veranda Blend®

Starbucks has spent decades working with coffee farmers throughout Latin America. This blend was inspired by the lightly roasted coffee sipped together over the years, often enjoyed on a breezy veranda with a view of lush coffee trees. Subtle but flavorful with notes of toasted sweet malt and milk chocolate, it’s an inviting, approachable coffee that mixes beautifully with milk.

“This art is intended to transport customers to a lively veranda in Latin America, giving a tangible sense of the coffee’s origin,” said Yumi Reid, said Starbucks designer and illustrator. “We wanted the design to reflect Starbucks® Blonde Roast story through use of color: roast color is primary, supported by house green on the hummingbirds. Bright accent colors on foliage further highlight this amazing coffee’s story.”

Starbucks® Single-Origin Guatemala Antigua

In Antigua Valley, coffee is a family tradition and a point of pride. Generations of farmers have worked the rich volcanic soil, perfecting their craft and producing some of the finest coffees. A favorite since Starbucks beginnings in 1971, this coffee is rich and refined, with elegant notes of dusted cocoa and soft spice.

This coffee’s heritage is featured through the quetzal bird amidst plant life from the Antigua region. Starbucks designers updated the illustration style to be artful and sophisticated, using layers of texture and delicate linework to create depth and detail throughout the design. The colors are shifted to warm coppery tones, speaking to the coffee’s roast and lending a beautiful shimmer.

Starbucks® Pike Place® Roast

Named after Starbucks first store in Seattle’s Pike Place Market, this coffee is served fresh every day in Starbucks stores around the world. A smooth, well-rounded blend of Latin American beans with subtly rich flavors of cocoa and praline. It’s the perfect brewed coffee – a consistently delicious cup customers can really look forward to. Enjoy the spirit of Pike Place in every sip.

“In undertaking this design, we sought to leverage recognizable design elements and our brand’s history at Pike Place. To accomplish this, I utilized motifs from our heritage in a style reminiscent of travel luggage stickers and badges,” said Bridget Shilling, Starbucks designer and illustrator. “While the bag celebrates our history, I wanted to ensure the design is still grounded in coffee, so coffee plants are interspersed throughout. We use printing processes to ensure the copper hues will come to life for a warm, metallic effect.”

Pike Place is a registered trademark of The Pike Place Market PDA, used under license.

Starbucks® Caffé Verona®

Named after a city known for romance because it’s easy to fall in love at first sip. This multi-region blend has been winning hearts for decades. Originally created as a dessert coffee for a Seattle restaurant, it quickly became a hit in our stores. Well-balanced and rich with flavors of dark cocoa and caramelized sugar, it pairs perfectly with anything chocolate.

“Named after the city where Romeo and Juliet takes place, we wanted this dark roast to feel romantic and reference the ornate architecture,” said Abby McCartin, Starbucks designer and illustrator. “Layered with our iconic Verona roses, you find a bubbling fountain, ivy draping off balconies, and Italian castle-like detailing. This art is meant to transport.”

Starbucks® Single-Origin Sumatra

Grown on a lush Indonesian island, this spicy coffee is truly one of a kind. Starbucks fell in love with Sumatran coffee in 1971, and it’s been one of the most treasured offerings ever since. The taste is distinctive and unmistakable – strikingly bold and full-bodied with rich herbals, rustic spice notes and a muted acidity.

“For Sumatra, we used color to emphasize the dark roast while incorporating greens and blues along with foil on the tiger stripes and plants,” said Abby McCartin, Starbucks designer and illustrator. “I created an interesting effect by adjusting the scale of the tiger in relation to the palm trees and jungle landscape, noting the similarities between shapes of the tiger and palm leaves. Layering them adds an element of fun and mystery; you definitely see the tiger stripes at first glance, but once you look closer you find more.”

Lineup of newly designed Starbucks coffee bags

For the first time in 10 years, Starbucks is debuting new whole bean coffee packaging designs inspired by the people, moments and experiences associated with each blend.

Starbucks debuts new whole bean coffee packaging

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