Starbucks Japan will use bio-based plastic straws and abandon paper straws
On December 6, Starbucks Coffee Japan announced that from January 2025, the material of the straws provided by stores will be changed from paper to bio-based plastic. This is another adjustment after a lapse of 5 years since the full switch to paper straws in 2020. Compared with paper straws, the new straws will improve the drinking experience and help reduce waste, achieving a win-win situation for customer satisfaction and environmental protection.
The first batch of bioplastic straws will be first used in 32 stores in Okinawa Prefecture on January 23, 2025, and will be promoted to about 2,000 stores across Japan after March. The new straws will start with the replacement of 6 mm diameter straws used for regular drinks such as iced coffee and frappuccino, and are planned to be replaced with 10 mm diameter thickened straws for seasonal limited frappuccinos around April.
The raw materials used for the straws this time come from Kaneka's bioplastic Green Planet®, whose main ingredients are vegetable oils, etc., and can achieve 99% biomass content. The new straws are lighter than paper straws and are expected to reduce waste generated by stores by about 50%. This bioplastic can be decomposed into inorganic matter by microorganisms in seawater or soil, and has little impact on the environment.
Starbucks changed the material of straws from petroleum-based plastic to paper straws in January 2020, but due to feedback from some customers that "it is easy to soften after long-term use" and "affects the taste of drinks",it decided to switch to bioplastic straws. The new straws are not easy to soften when in contact with liquids, which can improve the user experience while maintaining the original flavor of the drink.
Starbucks CEO Takafumi Mizuguchi said: "We listened carefully to customers' opinions on the drinking experience and conducted repeated research and improvements. In the future, we will continue to accelerate the promotion of sustainable development-related business activities."
