Starbucks recently announced that they plan on going strawless by 2020!
Well McDonald's wants to help the environment as well so their goal is to change all the packaging (cups, straws, etc.) to renewable or recycled resources by 2025.
Both companies decided to save the world together by developing a fully recyclable, compostable cup.
According to Fast Company, McDonald's and Starbucks distribute a combined 4% of the world's 600 billion cups annually.
The initiative is called The NextGen Cup Consortium and Challenge and was launched by Starbucks earlier this year with Closed Loop Partners, an investment platform that invests in sustainable consumer goods, recycling, and the development of the circular economy.
Now, McDonald's joins as a founding member with a five-million dollar commitment in partnership with Closed Loop Partners.
Marion Gross, senior vice president and chief supply chain officer for McDonald's USA said in the press release: "We are excited to join Starbucks and Closed Loop to help solve this pressing challenge as collaboration is key to finding a scalable, lasting global solution."
Another Starbucks representative pointed out that a better cup would benefit the entire industry, and extended an invitation for other companies to join the efforts.
Innovators, entrepreneurs, industry experts, and recyclers are invited to submit their ideas for "the next generation" of recyclable or compostable cups.
This particular challenge will focus on the fiber-based hot and cold cup, however NextGen has plans to rework the entire cup system (including lids and straws).
We love that McDonald's and Starbucks is making the world a better place one step at a time.