Starbucks has introduced what it calls its “most exciting” coffee cup yet in Europe—a bold move away from plastic linings toward sustainable, home-compostable materials. The iconic white cup now comes with a mineral-based coating and fibre lids, aiming to cut down plastic waste without changing the coffee experience customers love.
A New Era for the Classic Starbucks Cup
It’s no secret that single-use coffee cups have long been a headache for the environment. Starbucks, one of the world’s biggest coffee chains, is taking a significant step forward with this new cup design. The change isn’t just cosmetic. After over three years of rigorous testing and development, the cup’s plastic lining has been swapped out for a silica-based coating, known as Qwarzo, developed in Brescia, Italy.
Silica? Yep, it’s that common mineral you find in your kitchen cupboard as an anti-caking agent in flour or spices. But here, it plays a crucial role as a waterproof barrier that can handle hot drinks, replacing the less eco-friendly plastic linings that have been standard until now.
The fibre lids replace plastic ones too, adding to the compostability of the entire cup setup. Starbucks proudly states these cups are not only widely recyclable but also certified home compostable—meaning they can break down safely in regular compost bins, a game-changer for reducing landfill waste.
Made in Wales with European Forest Fibres
What’s also impressive is where these cups are coming from. Partnering with Wales-based Transcend Packaging, Starbucks crafted this innovation using traceable wood fibre sourced from Northern European forests. The cups are designed and assembled in Caerphilly, Wales, where the coating and production processes come together.
The collaboration is intense: dozens of prototypes, thousands of hours of testing, and multiple designs before landing on the final version that hits stores today. Starbucks isn’t just slapping a sticker on a recycled cup; this is a thoroughly engineered product that meets high standards for both sustainability and customer experience.
Gradual Rollout Across Key European Markets
Starbucks plans a phased rollout of these new cups, starting this month in ten countries, including Italy, Germany, France, Sweden, Switzerland, and Austria. Spain and Hungary are already enjoying the innovation, with the UK and Ireland set to follow later in 2025.
The rollout strategy allows Starbucks to gather feedback and fine-tune the process as demand grows. Duncan Moir, president of Starbucks EMEA, described this as the first large-scale application of this kind of technology to coffee cups. He emphasized the importance of offering an alternative for customers who don’t have a reusable cup on hand.
“I am really proud of the team that has worked to develop this innovative solution… We are keen to learn more from this rollout and remain focused on introducing more sustainable innovations to meet the shifting requirements of markets worldwide.”
Why This Matters for Plastic Waste Reduction
Vincent Mooij from Circpack by Veolia highlighted a major environmental benefit: removing plastic linings helps reduce waste created during recycling, a problem often overlooked. Normally, plastic-lined cups don’t break down well in pulping processes at paper mills, meaning more waste ends up in landfill or incinerators.
By switching to the silica-based coating and fibre lids, Starbucks’ cups can be processed more easily with existing recycling systems, which could make a big dent in the vast amounts of plastic waste generated by coffee cups globally.
Here’s a quick look at why this is a big deal:
| Problem with Plastic-Lined Cups | Benefit of New Starbucks Cup |
|---|---|
| Difficult to recycle, high waste | Home compostable, widely recyclable |
| Generates waste during paper pulping | Easier processing with existing recycling tech |
| Ends up in landfill or incineration | Reduced plastic pollution, less environmental harm |
A small but significant shift like this could push other companies to rethink their packaging too.
The Industry’s Response and Future Outlook
Transcend Packaging’s CEO, Lorenzo Angelucci, praised Starbucks for its willingness to embrace change. He sees this as a “transformative potential” moment for packaging, not just a simple upgrade.
“Starbucks’ commitment allows us to demonstrate the transformative potential of the packaging solution we have developed… creating a premium new product while removing the plastic lining and swapping to fibre lids.”
It’s rare to see such a big brand invest so heavily in packaging innovation, especially given how challenging and costly these changes can be. But Starbucks is betting that sustainability will resonate with consumers increasingly concerned about the environmental impact of their morning coffee.
If successful, this new cup could mark a shift in the entire industry’s approach to single-use packaging, raising the bar for what’s expected from big players and encouraging smaller coffee shops to follow suit.
In the end, the proof will be in the puddin’, or in this case, the cup. Will customers and recycling systems embrace this new design at scale? Time and plenty of coffee runs will tell.
