Starbucks launched a new, cheaper reusable plastic tumbler earlier this month to help customers save some cash, but the verdict is still out on whether the cups will have a positive environmental impact.
The new tumblers are an effort to reduce coffee cup waste, which Starbucks has been criticized for. The coffee giant generates about 4 billion cups globally each year.
The new reusable cups cost $1. Customers receive a 10-cent discount every time they use the cups, so the tumblers pay for themselves after 10 lattes.
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Approximately 28 percent of Americans have either purchased one of the cups or plan to, according to a study by YouGov Omnibus conducted earlier this month.
The cups bear the green Starbucks logo and look much like the standard paper cups. They have fill lines inside denoting "tall," "grande" and "venti"-sized drinks.
Some Starbucks locations are selling out of the tumblers, which are made in China. But there is concern that the tumblers may just be a trend and, like reusable grocery bags, customers will forget to use them.
Challenges in changing customer behavior, as well as trouble tracking how many coffee drinkers opt for reusable cups, led Starbucks to reduce its goal of 25 percent reusable cups by 2015 to 5 percent.
Prior to the reusable tumbler, Starbucks already offered a 10-cent discount to customers who brought in a reusable mug.
Irene