Starbucks: What Were You Thinking With That Via Packaging?
Starbucks.com
Dear Starbucks,
We have our love-hate relationship. Sure, the pumpkin spice latte is hard to resist. But your inability to put compostable -- or even recyclable -- cups in stores until 2012* makes me see red. If I can buy compostable hot cups at the supermarket, then you can order them in bulk with your logo printed on them!
Even giving you credit for the "cup summit" in May, when you brought together recycling experts to talk about The Cup, it's despicable for you, the largest specialty coffee company in the world to be so bad, and so late to the game, at managing your waste stream.
Besides the cup issue, many of your stores don't even offer recycling. Just last month, you launched a pilot recycling program in Manhattan with Global Green USA's Coalition for Resource Recovery. That's definitely the right thing to do, but you don't deserve praise for it. More like, "Hello, it's 2009! It's about time you dealt with recycling the literally billions of cups your customers produce each year. WTH took you so long?"
And now you've launched Via, a single serving instant coffee product. Each serving comes in a little plastic/foil package. Consumers can buy it in packs of three or twelve, which are packaged up in (plastic coated?) cardboard boxes.
As the Fresh Start Recycling blog asks, how in the world can all of this packaging, which doesn't even appear to be recycleable, fit in with your stated goal of reducing waste wherever possible?
Look, I'm fine with instant coffee. I think it's great that people can get their S'bux fix at home, using their own mug. Especially since it's so hard to convince people to bring their mug to the stores -- people act like I have ten heads when I bring it up!
I understand that you're trying to find a way to make money in a down economy, and that Americans love their on-the-go convenience. Sell the product, make money, get the economy back on track! But did you have to make the packaging (which is beautifully designed from an aesthetic perspective) so very un-eco-friendly?
You keep bragging that it took years to perfect this blend so it tastes better than any instant coffee ever created. So it sounds like you also had plenty of time to do R&D to find a sustainable, waste-responsible way to package it.
But you didn't.
If you're taking suggestions for the next iteration of this product, how about putting multiple servings, like a hundred, in a glass jar? Sure, it might remind some of us of the Maxwell House in our grandma's kitchen. On the other hand, that's better than having us think that you don't care about how your business practices impact the environment, which is how it looks right now.
I would love to hear back from you on this topic. It would make my day to be wrong about this. Really.
Thanks,
Cat Lincoln
Irritated & Reluctant Customer
*Note: that's a recent improvement from the previous goal of 2015, gee, thanks, way to set a "stretch goal", snort.
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