Picking up a hot beverage but forgot your travel tumbler? Take a close look at the sleeve on your cup. It looks and performs the same as our previous cup sleeve, but there’s been a big improvement. It has been modified to use 34% less paper and increased the recycled content from 60% to 85% post-consumer fiber – and it’s still compostable and recyclable!
With nearly three billion* hot cup sleeves produced in the United States in 2011 and Starbucks representing nearly half of the marketplace, this innovation will allow us to save almost 100,000 trees, based on our 2011 volume. This new design also saves in shipping – we can fit 15% more sleeves on a truck, reducing the overall environmental impact of the transportation of the sleeves.
The EarthSleeve™ is currently being introduced into select Starbucks locations across the United States and Canada, and we are looking into expanding it globally.
The best thing to do is bring your own tumbler, but when you can’t, be glad we are working with our suppliers to continue to help us reduce the impact of our packaging. And of course, when possible, recycle or compost that sleeve when you are done!
Note: *Data sourced from the 2012 Foodservice Disposable Packaging Assessment, and the Environmental impact estimates were made using the Environmental Paper Network Paper Calculator. For more information visit www.papercalculator.org. All raw material and post-consumer claims on the material makeup of Earthsleeve™ have been validated by the paper suppliers, and their compostability, repulpability and potential environmental benefits have been researched and validated by Cedar Grove, Western Michigan University, and Environmental Paper Network Paper Calculator.