*By Justin Chermol* Starbucks announced plans on Monday to elimate the use of plastic straws by 2020, making it the largest company yet to undertake the green initiative. The coffee chain will transition to new lids which feature a raised lip to drink from, a design already being used for some of the company’s cold brew drinks. The new lids will begin rolling out this fall in Canada as well as in Starbucks’ home city of Seattle. For those customers who insist on straws, the company will offer eco-friendly versions made of paper or compostable plastic. Starbucks stated this policy will cut the number of plastic straws used by one billion per year -- the proliferation of them has contributed to devastating ocean pollution and threatens marine life. Local governments across the United States initially spearheaded the plastic-strawless movement. Just last week Seattle banned both plastic straws and utensils. Some of America’s largest cities like New York and San Francisco have proposed plans to remove plastic straws as well.

Share:
More In Business
Turning Unused PTO Into Cold, Hard Cash
Veetahl Eilat-Raichel, Founder and CEO of Sorbet, shares how employees can harness the value of their time off – and how companies can use PTO to employees’ benefit.
Fed Interest Rate Decision Coming Next Week
Brooke May, Managing Partner at Evans May Wealth, weighs in on how the market is expected to perform through the rest of 2024, plus why she’s still bullish on tech but cautious when it comes to financials.
Load More