*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.
Fewer Americans applied for jobless claims last week as the labor market continues to thrive despite the Federal Reserve's efforts to cool the economy and tamp down inflation.
Stocks rallied after a group of big banks offered a lifeline to the bank Wall Street had zeroed in on in its hunt for the next victim in the industry’s struggles.
The Federal Reserve on Wednesday evening said its long-awaited digital payment system, the FedNow Service, will start operating in July. The service is designed to provide a national platform for financial institutions to settle payments in real-time and at lower cost. That could include large banks, payment processors, and the U.S. Treasury.
A week after the second-largest bank collapse in U.S. history, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is set to tell the Senate Finance Committee that the nation's banking system “remains sound” and Americans "can feel confident” about their deposits.
Kellogg announced last year that it was splitting into two companies, one focused on snacks and the other on cereal. Now it's revealed what those new companies will be called. The cereal business will retain the name Kellogg's, while the snack business will be called Kellanova.
Credit Suisse’s shares have soared 30% after it announced it will move to shore up its finances by borrowing up to nearly $54 billion from the Swiss central bank.
