reusable cups – SoraNews24 —Japan News— https://soranews24.com Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today. Mon, 28 Mar 2022 05:00:38 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.4 https://soranews24.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/05/en_rocket_1024.png?w=32 reusable cups – SoraNews24 —Japan News— https://soranews24.com 32 32 176746664 No more plastic cups — Starbucks Japan aims to get rid of plastic in stores with new initiatives https://soranews24.com/2022/03/28/no-more-plastic-cups-starbucks-japan-aims-to-get-rid-of-plastic-in-stores-with-new-initiatives/ https://soranews24.com/2022/03/28/no-more-plastic-cups-starbucks-japan-aims-to-get-rid-of-plastic-in-stores-with-new-initiatives/#comments Mon, 28 Mar 2022 05:00:23 +0000 https://soranews24.com/?p=581765 
Coffee giant proposes four new initiatives to reduce plastic waste.
Starbucks Japan recently announced four new measures with which they hope to reduce plastic usage in their stores. The chain proposed the measures as a part of their global effort to reduce waste by 50 percent by 2030. Starbucks will make the switch to environmentally friendly materials and promote reusable drink ware in order to reduce the number of disposable cups, lids, and cutlery.
The four measures being implemented are as follows —
- Stores will serve iced beverages in glasses
- Iced beverages will be served without a lid
- More stores will offer reusable tumblers that can be rented
- Cutlery will be reusable or made from 100 percent plant-derived materials
Let’s look at these measures in more detail, starting with iced drinks being served in glasses.
From April 18, 106 Starbucks stores in Japan will start offering iced beverages in glasses for customers who are drinking them in-store. Glasses are available for short and tall sizes (including Frappucinos), with larger grande and venti sizes available in select stores. Any customers who wish to stick with disposable cups may do so upon request.
The second new initiative is to serve cold drinks without their usual plastic lids.
Also starting from April 18, 113 stores around the country will begin to serve iced drinks in cups without plastic lids, with the exception of children’s drinks. This measure will be applied to all cold drinks (again, including Frappucinos) when they are bought for in-store use. Plastic lids will remain for all hot drinks to make them easier to carry, and to prevent scalding. Plastic lids will still be available to customers who want them upon request.
This initiative is set to be rolled out nationwide later this summer.
The third measure is to further promote the use of reusable drinking containers.
In select stores around Tokyo, stainless steel rental tumblers are available for people who order drinks to go. The tumblers can be used for hot or cold drinks, and customers can rent them for three days before they are returned to the store, washed and used once more. A further nine branches in Shibuya will trial the rental service from April 4.
The final new measure is to introduce more eco-friendly cutlery and utensils.
In a nationwide first, Starbucks will begin to offer customers cutlery made from 100 percent plant-derived materials. The cutlery is biodegradable and will be given to customers who order food to go. On top of that, from the end of March stores will give eat-in customers stainless steel yoghurt spoons to ensure their eat-in line of cutlery is all reusable. This practice will come into effect in Starbucks stores across the country from the end of March.
▼ Starbucks hopes to end single-use plastic for in-store customers.
Starbucks Japan already has a history of measures to make their stores more friendly to the planet, such as introducing paper straws instead of plastic ones, and recycling paper cups into cute notebooks, and we’re looking forward to even more eco-friendly initiatives from them in the future, too.
Source, images: Starbucks Japan
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]]> https://soranews24.com/2022/03/28/no-more-plastic-cups-starbucks-japan-aims-to-get-rid-of-plastic-in-stores-with-new-initiatives/feed/ 0 581765 20220317-1 Starbucks waste reduction initiative to start in Tokyo: borrow a cup, use it, then return it https://soranews24.com/2021/11/21/starbucks-waste-reduction-initiative-to-start-in-tokyo-borrow-a-cup-use-it-then-return-it/ https://soranews24.com/2021/11/21/starbucks-waste-reduction-initiative-to-start-in-tokyo-borrow-a-cup-use-it-then-return-it/#comments Sat, 20 Nov 2021 23:30:42 +0000 https://soranews24.com/?p=566245 
Take your cup home, then hand it back in at any participating Starbucks café.
Starbucks has resolved to reduce its waste by 50 percent by 2030, both in a global sense and specifically regarding its Japanese market. A cornerstone of this mission is to emphasize re-using materials wherever possible, and the program they’ll be testing out at ten Starbucks outlets in the Tokyo area is very much in that spirit.
This plan specifically targets the production of disposable cups intended for take-out orders, since creating so many single-use cups generates a colossal amount of carbon dioxide. Instead, Starbucks wants to encourage patrons to rent a multi-use cup through what they’re dubbing the Borrow, Return, and Re-use cycle.
▼ The aim is to test the program on a small scale before implementing it across Japan.
The trial run will be held with the assistance of the Re&Go service, a container reuse service set up in cooperation with Nissha and NEC Solutions Innovators. To take part in the program you must add the Re&Go account to your friend feed through LINE, a popular messaging service in Japan.
▼ After adding the account on LINE you’ll be able to search for a store that’s running the program.
Then, head on down to a participating store, one of the ten in the pilot program based in the Tokyo Marunouchi Area.
The participating outlets are: Marunouchi Building, GRANSTA Marunouchi, KITTE Marunouchi, Marunouchi Oazo, Marunouchi Shin-Tokyo Building, Marunouchi Mitsubishi Building, Otemachi Place, Otemachi Tokyo Sankei Building, Shin-Otemachi Building, and Koukyogaien National Park’s Wadakura Fountain Park.
At the counter, let the barista know that you want to use the service. Then tap the “rent a cup” button in the app and scan the QR code attached to the cup when you get it.
The next step is the simplest. Enjoy your drink! Take it to the park, the office, or even back home at your leisure.
▼ Reducing waste with every sip.
When you’re done, head back to any of the Starbucks stores running the program. Tap “return a cup” in the app, scan the QR code at the store, and leave your cup at the counter.
The concept is that by using the store’s own hardy, durable cups — built to preserve the temperature of the drink inside — patrons will be able to cut down on the amount of plastic and cardboard cups they use, meaning that Starbucks won’t have to produce as many to meet demand.
The Re&Go account within the LINE app will allow you to track how much carbon dioxide would have been generated had you used a disposable cup, and the company hopes that this will encourage more of their customers to think about their emissions in an actionable way.
However, perhaps the biggest bonus is that should the program become adapted across all stores, eco-conscious customers wouldn’t have to remember to bring a bulky tumbler with them every time they want a coffee — and also wouldn’t have to wash out the tumbler afterward. They can arrive empty-handed, leave with a drink in a thoroughly sanitized and cleaned cup, then return it when they can, leaving the cup to be cleaned again and used by a new customer.
This is the latest in Starbucks’ appeals for customers to re-use cups and tumblers. In 2020 we saw their small, re-usable eco-cups, and earlier this year brought the arrival of reusable silicon straws to lower the use of disposable plastic ones.
For what it’s worth though, this trial has one advantage over all of their previous efforts: at least for the time being, this service is free! It starts on December 1, so give it a try if you’re in the area.
Source: Starbucks Press Release via Netlab
Top image: Starbucks Press release (edited by SoraNews24)
Insert images: Starbucks Press Release
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]]> https://soranews24.com/2021/11/21/starbucks-waste-reduction-initiative-to-start-in-tokyo-borrow-a-cup-use-it-then-return-it/feed/ 0 566245 mainstabsa What’s the deal with the big colour-changing cup at Starbucks Japan? https://soranews24.com/2021/04/16/whats-the-deal-with-the-big-colour-changing-cup-at-starbucks-japan/ https://soranews24.com/2021/04/16/whats-the-deal-with-the-big-colour-changing-cup-at-starbucks-japan/#comments Fri, 16 Apr 2021 04:00:33 +0000 https://soranews24.com/?p=539499 
Is the colour change really that great? And what about the straw, does that change colour too? We test it out to find the answers.
It’s all happening here at Starbucks right now, with celebrations in full swing to mark the chain’s 25th anniversary in Japan. That means we’ve been spoilt with specially marked drinkware collections, limited-edition Frappuccinos and now…the arrival of colour-changing cups.
While the four-piece colour-changing cup sets are yet to be released on 19 April, we were lucky enough to find a larger version, with a lid and a straw, hiding out on the counter at our local Starbucks. According to staff, the 709-millilitre (24-ounce) reusable cup went on sale on 14 April, and it’s considerably larger than the cups in the upcoming set, which don’t include a straw and lid.
We didn’t need any convincing to purchase this beauty–in fact we wanted to witness its magical colour-changing ability immediately so we ordered an iced coffee at the same time and asked staff to fill our new cup with it.
The outside of the cup started off with a shade of blue-green that reminded us of famous jewellery brand Tiffany’s, but once our drink had been poured into it, the part filled with cold liquid had turned a lovely shade of pink.
After finding ourselves a table, we peeled off the lid and peered inside. This cup had a much larger capacity than most of the reusable cups currently sold at Starbucks, and while we’d hoped that the straw might possess the same colour-changing qualities as the cup, alas it was still Tiffany blue.
Taking a closer look at the outside of the cup, we fell in love with the gradation of colour between the cold and room-temperature portions, which resembled a glorious sunset.
Another neat feature we noticed was the fact that the part of the cup warmed by your hand goes back to being blue, allowing you to create all sorts of colourful patterns on the exterior.
▼ And once we’d finished the beverage inside, the cup returned to its original hue.
The Colour Changing Reusable Cold Cup Green is currently on sale at Starbucks stores nationwide for 550 yen (US$5.05). It’s only available in limited quantities, though, so be sure to get in quick if you’d like to own one, and don’t forget you can pay extra to get it filled with one of these new tiramisu drinks, for a drinking experience that tastes just as sweet as it looks.
Photos © SoraNews24
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]]> https://soranews24.com/2021/04/16/whats-the-deal-with-the-big-colour-changing-cup-at-starbucks-japan/feed/ 0 539499 Starbucks Japan colour changing cup tumbler new cold drink shop news photos 1 Starbucks’ Colour-Changing Cold Drink Cups arrive in Japan, supporting the LGBT community https://soranews24.com/2021/04/14/starbucks-colour-changing-cold-drink-cups-finally-arrive-in-japan-supporting-the-lgbt-community/ https://soranews24.com/2021/04/14/starbucks-colour-changing-cold-drink-cups-finally-arrive-in-japan-supporting-the-lgbt-community/#comments Wed, 14 Apr 2021 13:00:57 +0000 https://soranews24.com/?p=539397 
New release helps to change the world…in more ways than one.
Japan may have been slow to join the crusade against plastic straws and disposable coffee cups, but now that they’re on board they’ve been going all out with reusable products, especially at Starbucks, where you can now get eco-friendly straws, tumblers, and even…colour changing cups.
While these cups were first released in the U.S. and Canada back in 2019, it’s taken a while for the coffeehouse chain to roll them out on a global scale, with the product appearing in the U.K. late last year, and now, in Japan from 19 April.
▼ The new product is called “Colour Changing Cold Cup Set No Filter“.
Here in Japan, the rainbow of colours appearing in the four-piece set is being used to draw attention to an important cause, with a portion of sales going towards the “Rainbow School Project” which delivers lessons about diversity and LGBT issues to junior and senior high school students.
▼ Each set of cups contains the following four colours: Orange; Pink; Blue; Green.
Once you’ve added a cold beverage to them, they instantly transform, with the body of the yellow cup turning green, the pink cup turning purple, the blue cup turning pink, and the green one becoming orange.
The cups were created to support the ethos of “living in your own way”, and whether you choose to use them at home or work, or outdoors at picnics, they’re sure to attract attention.
▼ The lightweight cups come with their own carry bag for extra convenience.
Each set also includes a colourful “No Filter” sticker, as the coffeehouse giant is aiming for “a world without filters“, saying:
“Without preconceived notions, assumptions, or prejudice, we warmly welcome and accept everyone, regardless of race, age, gender, role or employment status, disability, personal values, and want everyone to believe they are worthy.”
It’s a great cause to get behind, and at 2,860 yen (US$26.27) per set, the reusable colour-changing cups look set to sell out as soon as they go on sale online from 6 a.m. on 19 April.
Images: Starbucks Japan Press Release
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]]> https://soranews24.com/2021/04/14/starbucks-colour-changing-cold-drink-cups-finally-arrive-in-japan-supporting-the-lgbt-community/feed/ 0 539397 Starbucks colour changing cups LGBTQ community support coffee Japan Tokyo news Starbucks sells bear plugs for reusable cups in Japan https://soranews24.com/2021/02/20/starbucks-sells-cute-bear-plug-for-reusable-cups-in-japan/ https://soranews24.com/2021/02/20/starbucks-sells-cute-bear-plug-for-reusable-cups-in-japan/#comments Fri, 19 Feb 2021 17:30:13 +0000 https://soranews24.com/?p=532701 
Saving the planet and healing your heart at the same time.
Japan has been catching on to the convenience–and importance–of reusable coffee cups in recent years, and if anyone needed any more convincing to make the switch over from disposable cups, this new product from Starbucks ought to do it.
Simply called the Drink Hole Cap, this adorable little bear is designed to sit inside the hole on the lid of your coffee cup, protecting you from spills on the table or while out on the go in a car or on the street.
However, the Bearista cap is not sold separately. It can only be purchased as a set with a reusable cup, for a very reasonable 500 yen (US$4.72).
People who bring the cup to Starbucks for refills are also eligible for a discount, making this even more great value for money. Our resident Starbucks expert K.Masami, who’s been known to spill drinks on occasion, was thrilled to get one of these when they were released on 17 February, and immediately put it to good use, showing us just how well it works.
▼ All you have to do is fill the cup and pop the lid on, then drink as you would normally, through the mouth hole.
Once you’ve had enough liquid to satisfy your thirst for a while, it’s time to take out the little bear, who comes cutely dressed in a Starbucks barista apron.
Here to serve, the bear will happily plug right into the mouth hole, keeping the beverage nice and warm and protecting you from any spillages as well.
▼ Ta daaa〜!
Honestly, how cute is this? It’s not just great for practicality, it’s fantastic to look at too, and Masami couldn’t help but smile every time she looked at her little bear friend.
She even tipped the cup over on a slight angle to see if anything would leak out, but the Bearista firmly held everything in. She then went and took the little bear out for a ride in the car, and sure enough, there wasn’t a speck of spilled liquid to be seen anywhere.
Needless to say, Masami is now madly in love and won’t be going on anymore Starbucks runs without her little bear.
This cute set is only available until stocks run out so be sure to get in quick if you want to enjoy the company of a bear like Masami’s. And while you’re there, don’t forget there are plenty of limited-edition sakura goods and drinks in stores for a limited time too!
Photos © SoraNews24
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]]> https://soranews24.com/2021/02/20/starbucks-sells-cute-bear-plug-for-reusable-cups-in-japan/feed/ 0 532701 Starbucks reusable cup Japan cute limited edition Japanese Bearista 1 Starbucks Japan releases special sakura gift packs for cherry blossom season 2020 https://soranews24.com/2020/02/01/starbucks-japan-releases-special-sakura-gift-packs-for-cherry-blossom-season-2020/ https://soranews24.com/2020/02/01/starbucks-japan-releases-special-sakura-gift-packs-for-cherry-blossom-season-2020/#comments Sat, 01 Feb 2020 01:00:52 +0000 http://soranews24.com/?p=486281 
Enjoy the taste of sakura Starbucks at home or in the office this spring.
With the cherry blossoms already blooming, we’re well on our way to spring in Japan, and Starbucks is heralding in the season with a new lineup of Spring Blend coffee packs, and a special gift pack that looks set to become a best seller.
Let’s take a look at what’s on offer, starting with the Spring Blend ground coffee, which retails for 665 yen (US$6.11) plus tax.
This blend uses a mix of Latin American and East African coffee beans, featuring a well-balanced depth of flavours on the chocolate-and-sweet-orange spectrum to capture the essence of spring.
▼ The seasonal blend will also be available as whole coffee beans (998 yen)…
▼ And in “Starbucks Origami” Personal Drip Coffee Bags (475 yen for a bag of four)
What’s really got everyone excited is the sakura-adorned reusable cup, which will be available to purchase as part of a set with two drip coffee bags for 598 yen.
The cup is perfectly designed to fit the drip coffee bags so you can enjoy a fresh cup of Joe at home or at the office…or underneath the cherry blossoms.
Those really wanting to spoil themselves can splurge on this Spring Cheer gift set, which includes a four-pack of drip coffee bags, with a reusable cup and an original cup holder for 3,000 yen.
All of the above products except the gift set will go on sale online and at supermarkets and stores around the country from 14 February, with preorders available online from 31 January. The gift set will be sold online from 28 February, shortly after Starbucks’ Sakura White Chocolate Cheesecake with Milk Pudding goes on sale at convenience stores around the country.
Source, images: PR Times
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]]> https://soranews24.com/2020/02/01/starbucks-japan-releases-special-sakura-gift-packs-for-cherry-blossom-season-2020/feed/ 0 486281 Starbucks Japan sakura cherry blossom drinks beans Japanese limited edition drip coffee cup mug holder 1