Starbucks has updated its iconic Vaso to wear. Not so much in aesthetic aspects, but in relation to its impact on the environment. The new design replaces the plastic coating with a mineral base layer that facilitates its recycling and compostability, thus facilitating waste management.

The coffee shop chain has announced the development this month, and can already be seen in its establishments in Spain and Hungary, and is gradually deploying in Italy, Germany, France, Sweden, Switzerland and Austria throughout May. At the end of this exercise it will also reach the United Kingdom and Ireland, thus completing a Strategic Panueropeo effort.

The initiative puts a solution to one of the main inconveniences associated with the vessels destined to contain hot drinks. And is that being plastic covered by plastic recycling It is more complex, since many conventional waste management plants lack technology to separate materials, which requires specific systems.

The development of Starbucks, which ensures is the result of a “exhaustive R&D effort and important innovations in the manufacturing process”, Replaces the plastic lining with a fact silica -baseda natural compound formed by silicon and oxygen, and provides a waterproof and heat resistant barrier.

For its part, the lid has also been reinvented, which is now manufactured with pulp fiber And it also has the mineral lining, which helps maintain its shape and resistance, even in contact with hot liquids. Likewise, the cardboard of the vessels is manufactured with traceable wood fiber from European forests.

Innovation has been carried out next to Transcend packaging, Production company production of sustainable containers of only one use; Qwarzotechnological specialized in mineral coatings; and Metsä Board, Paper fiber supplier.
The company points out that the development has required the work of three years, dozens of designs and thousands of hours of evidence.
The coating has been developed in Brescia (Italy), and the glass has been designed and created in the Transcend Factory in Wales.

As Starbucks explains, the new glass and lid can easily recycle in the corresponding containers or composted at home. Ensures that it is the same design with which consumers are familiar, but that it now has certification of domestic and widely recyclable composition. The company also defends that the container offers the same prémonic experience, without generating extra tasks or difficulty for the staff of the coffee shops.

As reported through social networks, the glass can be recycled in the flow of paper or mixed waste, both at home and in Starbucks establishments. In addition, users can also break the glass and lid in small pieces and add it to its compost mixture.

“I am really proud of the team that has worked to develop this innovative solution and I am delighted to see it in the hands of our customers in Europe while enjoying their coffee”, Commented Duncan Moir, president of Starbucks Emea.“We have a lot of interest in learning more with this launch and we are still focused on introducing more sustainable innovations to meet the needs in constant evolution of markets around the world”

For his part, Antonio Romero, general director of Starbucks Spain, says that innovation is a reflection of the Brand bet for sustainability and the improvement of the environment, and of the Client’s experienceand. And add: “In Spain we have had the opportunity to be one of the first countries to have this great innovation of the brand. Which demonstrates the important role that Starbucks Spain plays within the European market”

The initiative also represents an advance in the Adaptation to regulation and the diversity of requirements of local governments and waste infrastructure in force in communities around the world.

Beyond innovation, Starbucks maintains a policy that Prioritize reusable containers. He makes it rewarding with discounts to those customers who bring their own vessel and offer ceramic containers for hot drinks in most European countries where it operates.