Starbucks Coffee Japan, Ltd. announced that it will eliminate single-use plastic straws from nearly 1,500 stores across Japan and begin providing paper straws to customers starting in January 2020. The new paper straws are made from responsibly-sourced paper certified by the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC), available in standard sizes for iced beverages and large sizes for Frappuccino® blended beverages.
The new standard-sized paper straws will be available in select stores beginning in January, with a complete rollout to all stores across the Japan market by March. Large-sized straws for Frappuccino blended beverages will be available in all store by May. All paper straws will come in paper packaging with positive messages about sustainability.
“Since we announced our global commitment to eliminate single-use plastic straws across all stores by the end of 2020, Starbucks Japan has focused tirelessly on finding a straw alternative that meets our quality standards,” said Takafumi Minaguchi, representative director and ceo, Starbucks Japan. “We’re pleased to announce that we’ve achieved our goal. As technologies and innovations evolve, we see opportunities to continue to develop the premium Starbucks Experience our customers love in a sustainable way.”
Starbucks continues to explore innovative ways to reduce single-use plastics in stores throughout Japan. Since the first store opened in Ginza, Tokyo in 1996, Starbucks stores in Japan have offered a 20 yen discount for customers who bring their own cups or tumblers.
Elopak is the first manufacturer to deliver over one billion 100 % renewable cartons after launching beverage cartons featuring certified renewable polyethylene (PE) in 2014.
Elopak’s cartons offered with renewable PE, help ensuring resources for future generations. In addition, using a renewable feedstock instead of a fossil one, significantly reduces the carbon footprint of the cartons.
In 2017, Elopak further improved its renewable offering by introducing new feedstocks for renewable PE. The company chose to change supplier base to widen its offering of renewable PE and now offers two different sources. One is derived from sugar cane, the other is based on tall oil, a residue from pulp and paper production.
“Reaching one billion fully renewable cartons is a major milestone for Elopak and a great contribution to reducing the use of fossil resources ,” says Marianne Groven, Interim Director Environment in Elopak. “As a major global packaging company it is our responsibility to continue developing our renewable offering and lower the carbon footprint of our cartons. Elopak will always strive to provide packaging with a strong environmental profile to support our customers’ brands.”
Sourced from Nordic forests, the tall oil-based feedstock enables Elopak to offer beverage cartons entirely based on wood. Tall oil is a residue (also referred to as second generation feedstock) from pulp and paper production, which is the main raw material in the beverage carton. The wood for both the paperboard and the renewable PE is sourced 100 % from responsibly managed forests and other controlled sources, in accordance with the FSC™ certification system.
The alternative feedstock is sourced from Brazil, where sugar cane can grow in areas where other crops cannot. Sugar cane is one of the most efficient plants in converting sunlight to chemical energy and hence is a sustainable, fast-growing renewable resource.
Both feedstocks are certified according to ISCC PLUS, ensuring that the entire value chain is sustainable and certified up to the finished product.
Full details of Elopak’s renewable sourcing can be found in the company’s 2017 Environmental Report.
Global initiative for responsibly managed forests
The Forest Stewardship CouncilTM (FSCTM) has launched an ambitious new initiative to increase the use of materials from responsibly managed forests. The Vancouver Declaration allows businesses who use these natural products to pledge their commitment to responsible sourcing.
The Vancouver Declaration is part of the FSC’s wider ambition to help businesses achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. The declaration has now been presented at the FSC General Assembly 2017, which took place from 8 to 13 October in Vancouver, by Samuel Sigrist, SIG CFO designate.
Kim Carstensen, Director General of FSC: “It’s fantastic to see so many great businesses supporting this declaration. Our forests are a wonderful yet delicate natural resource, and a lot of people’s lives depend of their sustainable and responsible use. By committing to using FSC-certified wood and forest products, our partners are helping to protect our forests – and the planet – for future generations.”
Samuel Sigrist: “It was a great honour for me to present the Vancouver Declaration at the FSC’s 2017 General Assembly. We believe that this initiative, with its commitment to FSC certification, is a key tool in achieving parts of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. We are the first in our industry to be able to display the FSC label on 100 % of our packs. This is a major milestone for SIG on its journey to become a ‘net positive’ business, helping to create more natural resources than we use.”
In addition to SIG, other well-known companies such as IKEA, H&M, Marks and Spencer, Carillion, Jysk, Mitsubishi Paper Mill or Fuji Xerox have already signed the Vancouver Declaration. For example, IKEA has committed itself to only use wood from more sustainable sources by 2020 and promote sustainable forest management beyond their own needs to make it an industry norm. The aim of the FSC is to bring companies on board across the entire supply chain.
