Keep CUP the good work! Is sustainable consumption a promise or all talk?

Abstract

ABSTRACT Plastic waste has now spread to every corner of the globe. To avoid wreaking additional havoc on our world, wholesale change is needed. Collaboration, creative rewards, forward-thinking businesses, and consumer demand are all needed for viable and sustainable changes. Starbucks believes a call to action is necessary not only to innovate more environmentally friendly solutions but also to share those solutions in response to an almost unavoidable crisis. To this end, Starbucks has introduced Borrow a Cup, a cup rental program in line with its mission of reducing disposable plastics. This case study has implications for teaching by encouraging students to consider how they might deal with a similar situation if they were in the shoes of those executives, as well as practical implications for what hospitality companies can do to halt nature loss and foster an environment-positive economy.