Responding to the "green living" (zero waste) movement, since 2010, many Starbucks stores have implemented a discount program for customers who bring their own cups or water bottles to the store to buy drinks. Starbucks wants to use this campaign to raise customer awareness about protecting the environment and reducing paper waste. Thanks to this program, the amount of paper waste in the world has reduced by hundreds of tons each year.
However, due to the impact of the coronavirus epidemic worldwide in general and in the Americas in particular, Starbucks stores in North America have had to temporarily suspend this program. According to Starbucks, when customers bring their own cups to buy drinks, employees often ask customers to remove the lid to put the drink in, which increases the risk of viruses from the mouth sticking to the cup and lid, especially the coronavirus can stick to the surface of objects for up to 9 days. All drinks will now be served in disposable cups in the US and Canada.
Rossann Williams, president of Starbucks' U.S. and Canada operations, said stores will continue to offer a 10-cent discount to anyone who brings a cup or water bottle to the store, but will no longer fill it for customers. "We are optimistic that this is a temporary situation," Williams wrote in a letter posted on the company's website.
Starbucks said it will increase cleaning and disinfecting at all company-operated stores and suspend business-related air travel both domestically and internationally through the end of March. Large meetings at the company's offices in the United States and Canada have been postponed or canceled.
“We will work transparently and act courageously and responsibly to ensure the health and well-being of all our partners and customers,” Williams added.
Due to the complicated developments of the epidemic, Starbucks has not yet decided when they will suspend the program encouraging customers to bring their own cups or bottles.
