Starbucks unveils game-changing innovation in stores to combat plastic waste: 'These steps are certainly encouraging'

Java mega-chain Starbucks is testing compostable lids for its cold drinks in an effort to reduce plastic waste, Sustainability Magazine reported.

The company is partnering with sustainable packaging company Huhtamaki to develop the lids and is testing them out in select stores in California and Minnesota. 

This is part of a larger initiative by the company to make all of its consumer-facing packaging 100% reusable, recyclable, or compostable by 2030, according to the publication. Only 49% of its packaging met these standards in fiscal year 2022. 

Each year, the world produces more than 440 million tons of plastic waste, including packaging like cups and lids. In the U.S. alone, around 14.5 million tons of plastic containers and packaging were generated in 2018, with about 70% of that ending up in landfills, according to data from the Environmental Protection Agency.

When plastic waste degrades in landfills, microplastics are released into the environment, contaminating soil, groundwater, and surface water. These microplastics have become a growing concern in the scientific community, having been discovered in a number of foods like salt and chicken nuggets, along with drinking water.

They're in our bodies too — scientists found microplastics in every human semen sample tested in one study, and they've also been found in various organs like our lungs. These plastic invaders endanger human health in many ways. For instance, they have been linked with susceptibility to a variety of lung disorders and pregnancy complications. 

Microplastics also affect wildlife. For instance, one researcher found these tiny particles in the digestive tracts of every tilapia fish sampled in the Nile. 

As big corporations like Starbucks move to reduce their plastic waste, it can help in the fight against dangerous microplastics. Other initiatives include Pepsi's tests of reusable packaging to replace plastic bottles and McDonald's UK's ban on plastic cutlery. By supporting eco-friendly initiatives by your favorite brands, you can help to ensure these policies continue.

Robert Little, sustainability strategy lead at Google, which recently orchestrated a Single-Use Plastics Challenge to encourage other companies to reduce their plastic waste, applauded Starbucks' new partnership.

"As more companies like Starbucks embrace more sustainable practices, we can hope to see an 'up and to the right' reduction in waste and a shift towards a more circular economy," he said, per Sustainability Magazine. "While the sustainability road is long, winding and has many cul de sacs, these steps are certainly encouraging."

Meanwhile, Ann O'Hara, president North America at Huhtamaki, told the publication that the new partnership put her company "one step closer to being everyone's first choice in sustainable packaging solutions."

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