Whether we are avid consumers or sheepishly grab a drink when really needing a kick, Starbucks is huge part of daily life for hundreds of thousands of customers each day.  In the vein of "with great power comes great responsibility," Starbucks has had plenty of pressure to "do good," or at least better.  In early 2020 Starbucks chief executive officer Kevin Johnson announced a "renewed focus" on sustainability.  Efforts include halving carbon emissions,  more plant-based foods, and providing coursework on sustainability and environmental stewardship.

Upon my last two trips to Starbucks, I was shocked to find that Starbucks (in 2021 with the previously mentioned environmental efforts already in progress) was double-cupping drinks as well as providing a cardboard sleeve.   I wondered if the drinks were extraordinarily hot, but I personally found that I was able to take off one cup and ditch the sleeve shortly after receiving my beverage.  Why are we wasting a whole extra cup, a whole extra resource, and not even asking the customer if this is something they would want?!

Starbucks would hardly be the trailblazer in this work. In 2019 Dunkin' Donuts began their “Consciously Un-Cup-Ling” and #DoubleCupBreakup campaign after their polystyrene cups were often doubled up as insulation for hot drinks and to keep iced drinks colder for longer.   In 2020 Tim Hortons banned the distributing double cups and made their hot drinks come with recyclable cardboard sleeves.  

Within the times of the pandemic I have personally seen my zero waste/sustainability efforts decrease dramatically, and it's something I have absolutely no pride in.  However, despite a pandemic, there are efforts we all can take to decrease our environmental footprint, and a powerful company such as Starbucks should be able to be at the forefront of these efforts.  Let's extend the #DoubleCupBreakup beyond one chain and to all chains and coffee shops.  Starbuck's power and influence are immense, and this small effort can at least get us continuing in the right direction of their sustainability efforts.