Together with agency Hubbub (London / UK; www.hubbub.org.uk), Starbucks (Seattle, Washington / USA; www.starbucks.com) has completed a three-month trial that ran from 25 February 2018 to 25 May 2018 at 35 of its locations in London (see Plasteurope.com of 16.04.2018). According to Hubbub, implementing the 5 pence (EUR 0.06) fee, dubbed the "latte levy", over the three months resulted in an increase of hot drinks that were sold in reusable cups, from 2.2% to 5.8%. Martin Brok, president of Starbucks Europe, Middle East and Africa, says the company is now extending the 5p charge to all its 950 stores across the UK in July. "We will test its impact on a larger sale, whilst continuing to work with Hubbub to understand what else we can do to help reduce waste, promote reuse and encourage recycling across our business."

Some demographic trends from the trial emerged, such as the 5p fee being more effective in Starbucks stores with many regular customers and where "a strong local community" exists. The fee was less effective in areas with a high student population, where the stores "often had a high proportion of mobile order and pay and venti orders," or surrounded by big office blocks, where many customers expense their coffees and were not discouraged by the fee. The coffee company has already been offering a 25p discount to customers who bring in their own reusable cup.

Starbucks is also joining the ranks of companies eliminating disposable plastic straws (see Plasteurope.com of 14.06.2018). Iced and cold beverages will instead be outfitted with a strawless plastic lid, except for "Frappuccinos" that will be served with a straw made from paper or PLA compostable plastic. The company emphasises that the lid made of polypropylene is recyclable.

According to the company, in 2017, cold beverages comprised more than 50% of sales. Starbucks plans to phase out plastic straws at all of its more than 28,000 retail stores worldwide by 2020, a move that it says will eliminate more than 1 bn straws annually. The first locations to use the new lids will be in Seattle and Vancouver, British Columbia / Canada.