A barista was at a sink in a Starbucks Coffee Korea Co. store in Gimpo, South Korea.
SeongJoon Cho | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Starbucks has promised to halt waste dumps in South Korea by 2025, as it aims to halve its global waste by the end of the decade.
The coffee giant has long promised to cut off the approximately 7 billion disposable bowls it uses annually, the majority of which end up in landfills. For decades, with a brief hiatus during the early months of the coronavirus pandemic, the company offered 10 percent off customers who bring in cups, but few choose the option.
After Starbucks announced last year that it plans to eventually become ‘resource positive’, the company is setting more goals to reduce water use, carbon emissions and waste. The company said Tuesday it will run a two-month launch and return program at five cafes in Seattle, where the headquarters are. The company on Monday announced a series of new targets for its South Korean market, including reducing its carbon footprint by 30% by 2025.
Starbucks plans to launch a circle cup program in South Korea to slowly encourage customers to reuse cups and mugs. This summer, the chain plans to launch a program of select cafes in Jeju that allows consumers to pay a small deposit for a reusable mug, which they can return to a contactless return kiosk.
Shares of Starbucks rose 1.9% in morning trading. The company’s share has risen 64% in the past year, giving a market value of $ 131 billion.