What's changed?

Starbucks has re-designed its iconic white hot takeaway cup in Europe, removing the plastic lining usually found on the inside with a mineral-based coating and replacing single-use plastic lids with fibre alternatives. It’s the same familiar Starbucks design, but your hot cup is now certified home compostable.

A pioneer in the production of sustainable single-use packaging, Transcend packaging, located deep in a Welsh valley in Ystrad Mynach, Caerphilly, Wales, has been selected as the European production base for Starbucks new cup and lid.

While other single-use cups contain a plastic lining, Starbucks mineral-based coating is instead made from silicon dioxide (SiO2) - the same mineral that’s used globally in a wide range of basic foodstuffs.

This coating provides a resistant barrier that is highly resistant to heat, tasteless and will not compromise on the customer experience.  

The new pulp fibre lid is also coated with the same silicon dioxide Qwarzo® coating and has been purposefully designed to maintain its shape and strength, even when in contact with hot liquids.

Since the introduction of Starbucks first branded paper cups in the 1980s the coffee company has continually reimagined the cup to elevate the customer experience whilst defining the brand’s identity. Over the decades, this iconic symbol has evolved in celebration of the brand’s milestones. Each iteration tells a story of progress and possibility, and this latest cup is no different.

One of the major issues with standard single-use paper coffee cups is that they are lined with PE or PLA plastic to prevent hot liquid from leaking. This plastic lining can make recycling more challenging as it requires specialised technology and infrastructure to separate the materials.

Our new hot cup and fibre lid are coated with a mineral-based coating that will maintain the product’s recyclability and compostability in the Europe market (depending on your municipalities infrastructure) and is compliant with EU and UK packaging legislation.

Both the hot cup and lid have the highest recyclability certification available from Circpack by Veolia, tested according to the CEPI method using current and widely available recycling systems. They are also certified industrial or home compostable by DIN CERTCO.

Customers will enjoy the same premium look and feel of a Starbucks cup with no noticeable difference.  

Starbucks aims to provide a superior coffee and customer experience, uplifting everyday moments and fostering connections. Starbucks customers can already order their beverage “for here” to have their drink served in a ceramic mug in our coffee houses.

Starbucks EMEA has also been offering a discount on beverages served in a reusable cup since first entering the region over 25 years ago.

This Europe-wide rollout of the new hot cup is another step on that journey, providing a compostable and recyclable packaging solution that is compliant with EU and UK packaging legislation.

Both the cup and lid have been certified recyclable material in all 27 EU markets as well as UK, Norway and Sweden. 

We have designed the cup so that it can be recycled in paper waste streams, when disposed of correctly. The new fibre-based lid is not coated with plastic but with the same mineral-based coating.

For detailed information on how to recycle your cup and lid in your specific country, please check with your local authorities on specific waste requirements in your area, which can vary slightly depending on location.

The new Starbucks hot cup meets stringent environmental standards to achieve both the DIN-Geprüft "HOME compostable" and "Industrial compostable" certifications.

Customers can compost their cup, at home, or via municipal composting facilities.

When disposing of the cup in home compost bins, customers are encouraged to break down the cup into smaller pieces first in order to encourage the natural composting process. Customers should also remember to remove the sleeve and beverage label (if applicable).

As always, please check with your local authorities on any specific waste requirements in your area, which can vary slightly depending on location.

Only Starbucks new hot cup and lid as shared on this website are compostable.

For detailed information on how to compost your cup and lid in your specific country, please use the local market navigator at the bottom of the homepage of this website to navigate to the Starbucks website for your country.

The new hot cup and lid solution will roll out across European stores this year, beginning in Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany, France, Switzerland and Austria this May 2025, before coming to the UK later in 2025.

This is the first introduction of this emerging technology applied to a coffee cup that’s produced at scale. We’re eager to learn more from this roll out to better understand how to meet demand for new technologies like this in other markets and get important feedback from our customers.

As we implement the phased rollout of our new cups, in select markets there may be instances where remaining stock of our previous hot cups are handed to customers.

In markets where we offer mobile ordering and third-party delivery, our new hot cups will also be used on applicable orders through these channels.

In France, Luxembourg and Sweden, our new paper cups and lids will be used to serve takeaway hot as well as cold beverages.

Our new hot cup is certified recyclable, meaning it can now be widely recycled in paper or mixed recycling streams at home, in public recycling bins and in our stores.

Alternatively, you may dispose of the cup in your home compost setup or a public composting bin - depending on your local infrastructure. When disposing of our new cups and lids via this method we encourage customers to break down the cup into smaller pieces in order to encourage the natural composting process. Customers should also remember to remove the sleeve and beverage label (if applicable).

As always, please check with your local authorities on any specific waste requirements in your area, which can vary slightly depending on location.

Only Starbucks new hot cup and lid are compostable.

Starbucks remains committed to a future where every Starbucks customer can order and enjoy a beverage served in a reusable cup — either one you bring or one we provide.

Starbucks continue to encourage the use of reusable cups for drinks on the go, and have been offering customers a discount for doing so since first entering the EMEA region over 25 years ago. Starbucks also allow customers to enjoy beverages served in a ceramic mug when ordering "for here" in our coffeehouses.

We are also focused on ensuring our customer-facing packaging is recyclable or compostable for on-the-go coffee drinking, home delivery, or, on the days you might forget to bring your re-usable.

For detailed information surrounding how to appropriately recycle or compost your cup and lid in your specific area, please visit the relevant website below:

• Germany: https://www.starbucks.de/en/nachhaltigkeit
• France: https://www.starbucks.fr/faq
• Italy: https://www.starbucks.it/it/landing-faq.html
• Switzerland: https://www.starbucks.ch/faq
• Austria: https://www.starbucks.at/faq
• Hungary: https://www.starbucks.hu/hu/fenntarthatosag 

Starbucks has partnered with Transcend Packaging, Qwarzo® and Metsä Group to design and produce the widely recyclable and compostable cup and lid solution.

The new Starbucks hot cup range is available in Espresso (4oz), Short (8 oz), Tall (12 oz), Grande (16 oz) and Venti (20oz) sizes. The fibre lids are available across beverage sizes from Short to Venti. As standard, we do not provide lids for Espresso cups.

Starbucks has worked with the following recycling and sorting companies as well as composting accreditors in the testing of the new cup.

• Circpack by Veolia
• Tomra
• Smurfit Kappa
• Flustix (visit flustix.com/certified and search to following license numbers related to our new home compostable and recyclable cups: FPPC010 (for our standard printed cup with logo); FPPC012 (for our standard sip lid); FPPC014 (for our delivery sip lid).
• Control Union
• DIN CERTCO (to search the certification base, visit www.dincertco.tuv.com)
• TÜV Rheinland
• Plant Test (Ecotoxicity)