Starbucks gives up on environmental cup
by The Associated Press
After more than a year of research, Starbucks Corp. has decided to abandon a
prototype coffee cup designed to be more environmentally friendly.
With the aid of environmental groups, the company tried to come up with a way
to cut down on "double-cupping," or using two cups to keep hot coffee from
burning customers' hands.
The prototype cup, tested in a total of 40 stores in Seattle and San
Francisco, was a standard cup with a cardboard sleeve built in. The company
would not comment on how much money went into research.
The company instead will use a standard cup and an add-on cardboard sleeve -
something the vast majority of stores already do, Starbucks spokesman Chris
Gimbl said Friday. "(The prototype) was about the same waste level as the cup
and sleeve separately," Gimbl said.
Customers can still request an additional cup.