Before the term reached the zeitgeist, coffee giant Starbucks went âviralâ using their disposable cups as mini-billboards, gaining visibility and growing their brand as consumers carried their drinks with them, years before social media or selfies. By their own estimate, the chain dispatches about 6 billion of these advertising vessels annually.
However, because the paper cups get manufactured with a liner made of plastic, they arenât recyclable.
Of course, Starbucks doesnât want to see the disposable cup go away entirelyâunlike some coffee shopsâand in 2018, the chain pledged $10 million towards the development of a more sustainable alternative to the current to-go hot cup through the NextGen Cup Challenge. A year ago, after evaluating nearly 500 designs from over 50 countries, the NextGen Consortium chose 12 winners, and, starting this week, Starbucks will test one iteration at locations in Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco, New York, and London.
