Starbucks, the coffee-shop giant, is taking a giant step towards a more eco-friendly operational future.
The company announced on Monday that they will use recyclable straw-less lids and an alternative-material straw option in its more than 28,000 stores around the world in hopes to eliminate all plastic straws from their stores by the year 2020.
The move will eliminate more than one billion plastic straws per year from Starbucks stores, the company said.
"For our partners and customers, this is a significant milestone to achieve our global aspiration of sustainable coffee, served to our customers in more sustainable ways," Kevin Johnson, president and CEO of Starbucks, said in a statement.
The newly designed straw-less lid will be used for all iced coffee, tea and espresso beverages. It is currently being used in more than 8,000 stores in the U.S, and Canada for the Draft Nitro and Cold Foam drinks.
Here's a look at the straw-less lids courtesy of Starbucks' website:
The coffee retailer will also begin offering straws made from alternative materials -- including paper or compostable plastic -- for Frappuccino beverages.
"Eliminating straws is a response to requests from partners and customers", said Colleen Chapman, vice president of Starbucks global social impact overseeing sustainability. “This move is an answer to our own partners about what we can do to reduce the need for straws,” she said. “Not using a straw is the best thing we can do for the environment.”
Going strawless is just one of the ways that Starbucks is thinking through more sustainable approaches to single-use packaging. The company has invested $10 million in the NextGen Cup Challenge, which seeks to develop a fully recyclable and compostable hot cup.
Starbucks is also encouraging customers to BYOT — “bring your own tumbler” — as part of its efforts to reduce waste.
What are your guys' thoughts? Do you like the design of the straw-less lids? Do you think Starbucks is here to revolutionize the future of eco-friendly restaurants?
Photos: Getty Images and Starbucks website