- Starbucks announced on Monday that it plans to eliminate single-use plastic straws globally by 2020.
- The chain is rolling out more strawless lids, which are already in use for certain drinks, as well as developing new plastic-free straws.
- The announcement comes at a time when cold beverages are making up an increasing percentage of Starbucks' sales. Cold drinks account for more than half of the company's beverage sales, according to Starbucks.
Starbucks is making a massive effort to eliminate single-use plastic straws globally.
On Monday, the coffee chain announced that it plans to no longer use single-use plastic straws around the world by 2020. The change will eliminate more than one billion plastic straws a year, according to the company.
Starbucks has a two-pronged plan to eliminate straws. First, the chain plans to use new, recyclable strawless lids, which are already in use in certain stores with particular beverages, such as some drinks that come with a cold foam topping.
Second, Starbucks plans to roll out straws made from alternative materials instead of plastic. These straws will be available for drinks such as the Frappuccino, which are intended to be consumed via straw, and will be available on request.
Starbucks will roll out the initatives to eliminate straws in phases, a company spokesperson told Business Insider. The changes will start in Seattle, Washington, and Vancouver, Canada, this fall, with the rest of the world following by 2020.
The announcement comes at a time when cold beverages are making up an increasing percentage of Starbucks' sales. According to the coffee giant, cold drinks now make up more than half of beverage sales, compared to 37% five years ago.
Starbucks is also adding two new cold drinks to the permanent menu on Tuesday: the Salted Cream Cold Foam Cold Brew — which features a strawless lid — and the Ice Vanilla Bean Coconutmilk Latte.
While cold beverages are increasingly crucial to Starbucks' business, the company has struggled with sales of the once-dominant Frappuccinos in recent years. In June, the company reported that sales of the sweet, icy beverage are down 3% from last year.
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