Alde Nguyen
Online Manager
With more attention being paid to being eco-friendly, Starbucks has raised their standards. Starbucks locations nationwide have recently started a progressive movement towards keeping the planet more environmentally safe. They have started by implementing paper straws with plans to rid all plastic straws by 2020. Despite these beneficial aspects Starbucks’ straws prove to be unreasonable because of the limitations regarding who can use them.
The Starbucks corporation announced last July they would begin to introduce biodegradable paper straws in efforts to reduce pollution. Starbucks estimates that 1 billion plastic straws will be conserved by this new bio friendly movement which will take place in 28,000 Starbucks stores. Within the community one location that has introduced this alternative includes the Starbucks located in downtown Manhattan Beach.
With this new introduction to how people drink their beverages, concerns have arisen regarding how paper straws are not compatible with a percentage of their consumers. One specific group that has be affected by this change are people with physical disabilities, those who rely on plastic straws to live independently. Due to this change of material in Starbucks’ straws, the disabled face an increased difficulty in consuming fluids. There is also an increased chance of choking, according to the Scottish disability rights nonprofit One in Five. With these safety issues glooming around, Starbucks’ paper straws prove to be an unpractical product.
The materials being used in Starbucks new compostables include paper and polylactic acid, a substance that is considered a corn allergen, and can be dangerous to those susceptible to it. This displays another example in which there is a restraint to who is able to use Starbucks’s paper straws. With these negative aspects surrounding Starbucks’ straws, the debate whether they are reasonable compared to the benefits, comes into consideration.
Compared to plastic, paper straws are more susceptible to becoming soggy and tearing when in contact with fluids. Considering this, Starbucks new paper straws are more prone to wear down and rip becoming obsolete during consumption. This becomes a nuisance for customers and introduces a new problem that would not have been present with the plastic models.
Despite controversies surrounding the company’s new biodegradable products, the main objective of the new compostables is to reduce plastic pollution which will lead in less marine pollution and species endangerment as well. Although these are the intentions, straws make up less than 1% of the world’s marine plastic pollution and don’t play a significant factor, according to Investors Business Daily
Starbucks’ new paper straws introduce a new modern way to drink coffee and aid the environment as well. Despite this, they do come with their downsides involving how fragile they are and having a significant selection of people who cannot use them. The benefits lack when compared to the cost being paid in other
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