US-based coffee company and coffeehouse chain, Starbucks Corp. has redesigned plastic lids for its cold drinks in a bid to give up plastic straws.
In a 9 July statement, the company said it was phasing out plastic straws from its more than 28,000 stores worldwide by 2020.
The move, Starbucks claimed, will eliminate more than 1 billion straws a year.
Replacing the old lid and straw closure, the new lid, developed by Starbucks' R&D team, is made of polypropylene, which can be widely recycled.
“By nature, the straw isn't recyclable and the lid is, so we feel this decision is more sustainable and more socially responsible,” said Chris Milne, director of packaging sourcing for Starbucks.
As part of sustainability drive, Starbucks announced in March that it was committing $10m in partnership with Closed Loop Partners and its Center for the Circular Economy to launch the “NextGen Cup Challenge”.
The move aims to develop an end-to-end solution that would allow cups to be diverted from landfills and composted or recycled.