Starbucks customers can now bring in their personal cup for almost every transactionStarbucks customers can now bring in their personal cup for almost every transaction

Joanna Fantozzi

Starbucks announced Wednesday that its reusable cup program is now expanding to include drive-thru orders and mobile pickup orders, for all company-owned and participating licensed stores in the U.S. and Canada. Customers have been encouraged to bring in their own cup now for decades, but they can now do so in the drive-thru lane or when ordering ahead on the app and receive a 10-cent discount and 25 star rewards as a thank you.

“At Starbucks, we envision a future where every beverage can be served in a reusable cup,” Michael Kobori, Starbucks chief sustainability officer said in a statement. “Offering customers more options to use a personal cup when they visit Starbucks marks tangible progress towards the future. We know our customers are passionate about the planet, and now, they can join us in our efforts to give more than we take, no matter how they order.” 

The reusable cup program’s expansion is likely connected to Starbucks’ announcement in late 2023 of ramping up its sustainability efforts by creating a new environmental, partner and community impact board committee. which would assist the Starbucks board as it responds to shifting standards.

“With almost every single touch point that we have in the productivity program, there is a question around, ‘how do you ensure that sustainability is built into what we do?’ -- So it will have an impact on waste reduction, for example,” Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan said at the time.

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Starbucks also noted that the expansion of the reusable cups program achieves a 2022 goal to make it easier for customers to use their own cups and reduce overall cup waste, and claims it is the first U.S. company to offer customers the option to use their own personal cup when using mobile pickup. When using this option, customers select the “personal cup” customization option when ordering in the app, and then when picking up their beverage, hand over their cup, and the barista hands it back in what they call a “contactless vessel.”

The Seattle-based coffee giant also announced on Wednesday several new and returning food and beverage items being added to the menu in 2024, including the shaken hazelnut oat milk espresso made with blonde espresso and hazelnut syrup. Starbucks’ pistachio beverages — including the pistachio latte and pistachio cream cold brew —are returning to the winter beverage lineup for a limited time.

On the food side of the menu, Starbucks is adding potato cheddar and chive bakes and a vanilla bean custard Danish to the limited time winter menu.

Related:Independent audit of Starbucks finds no union-busting but ‘missteps could have been avoided’

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