Back in 2016, Starbucks began serving coffee with straw-less lids at Seattle’s Reserve Roastery. The ‘sippy cups,’ as the internet so lovingly dubbed them, have started to roll out across the country with Starbucks’ new cold-foam topped drinks. In the next few years, you can expect to see a lot more of ’em. The coffee giant announced today a global effort to eliminate single-use plastic straws by 2020, and the new lids are a major player in making that happen.
Currently available at more than 8,000 stores in the U.S. and Canada, the lids will be phased in to every Starbucks in Seattle and Vancouver this fall, with more regions following suit.
If you’re already panicking over how to drink your beloved Frapp — don’t freak out. The iconic green straw will still be available, but in a new material. Instead of using single-use plastic straws, Starbucks is switching over to paper and compostable plastic straws, served with Frappuccinos and available upon request for customer “who prefer or need a straw,” per the company.
Along with announcing the environmentally-friendly decision — it’s said to save 1 billion straws per year — Starbucks announced two new drinks rolling out tomorrow. Starting Tuesday, July 10, U.S. and Canadian menus will feature a Salted Cream Cold Foam Cold Brew (served with a straw-less lid) and an Iced Vanilla Bean Coconutmilk Latte. The latter uses vanilla bean and coconut milk shaken with ice and shots of espresso, which makes is less calorie-dense than other lattes. Since there’s no syrup, there’s also less sugar.
Starbucks’ effort to go strawless is one of many from companies and cities hoping to reduce waste and keep straws from ending up in the ocean, where they can hurt wildlife. Last week, Seattle announced it is the first city to ban plastic straws and utensils.
From: ELLE UK
