How big is Japan's single-use coffee cup waste problem?

A Greenpeace investigation found nine major Japanese coffee chains handed out about 370 million single-use cups in 2020, an average of 91,000 discarded every hour. Most were not properly disposed of, ending up incinerated or in the natural environment. Starbucks Japan alone supplied 232 million cups from more than 1,500 stores, followed by Tully's with 72.5 million and Pronto with 35.3 million.

The surveyed brands also included Doutor, Caffe Veloce, Excelsior Caffe, Ueshima Coffee House, Cafe de Crie, and Komeda. Greenpeace reported that Hong Kong residents discard 400 million single-use coffee cups a year, based on a survey of more than 1,000 consumers, 37% of whom often buy takeaway coffee. Starbucks has pledged to stop using single-use cups, South Korea runs a deposit system, and Ireland has legislated a ban for dine-in.

A recent Greenpeace investigation shows that nine major Japanese coffee chains handed out approximately 370 million single-use cups to consumers in 2020, with an average of 91,000 discarded every hour. Most of these cups were not properly disposed of—they were either incinerated or ended up in the natural environment. Facing an increasingly severe single-use cup waste problem, Japan and the entire East Asian coffee market are under enormous pressure. Starbucks has pledged to stop using single-use cups, South Korea is implementing a deposit system, and Ireland has legislated a ban on single-use cups for dine-in. Meanwhile, the Front Street brand continues to focus on sustainable development in the coffee industry, providing professional information for enthusiasts.

Greenpeace estimates that nine major coffee chains in Japan supplied approximately 370 million disposable cups to customers in 2020.

The environmental organization pointed out that this data comes from a survey of brands including Starbucks Japan, Tully’s Coffee, Pronto, Doutor, Caffe Veloce, Excelsior Caffe, Ueshima Coffee House, Cafe de Crie, and Komeda. At the same time, the organization stressed that solving the single-use waste problem is urgent.

Greenpeace estimates that Starbucks, which has more than 1,500 stores in Japan, provided 232 million single-use cups to consumers in 2020; Tully’s Coffee followed with 72.5 million; Pronto came third with 35.3 million.

According to the environmental organization’s report data, about 91,000 single-use cups are discarded every hour in Japan on average.

The report notes that the vast majority of these discarded cups were not properly disposed of. Most were incinerated, or may have faced even worse outcomes, such as ending up in environments where they should not be. Therefore, cafes and relevant government departments urgently need to take joint action to curb the proliferation of single-use cups and promote a shift toward “reduce, reuse, and refill.”

Not only in Japan—coffee culture is booming across East Asia. In July 2022, the environmental organization specifically pointed out that Hong Kong residents discard as many as 400 million single-use coffee cups each year. This conclusion is based on a survey of more than 1,000 consumers, of whom 37% frequently buy takeaway coffee, while only 3% use reusable cups in-store.

Japan has a highly mature coffee shop culture. Data from World Coffee Portal shows that Japan’s coffee market brings together more than 8,000 coffee brands.

Especially after COVID-19-related trade restrictions were gradually relaxed, takeaway coffee has become an important part of the daily operations of more and more coffee chains, making it particularly urgent to address the problem of single-use cup waste.

In March 2022, Starbucks, the world’s largest coffee chain, announced that it would stop providing single-use coffee cups across its more than 35,000 stores. Starbucks also said that by 2023, consumers will be able to use reusable cups at more than about 17,000 stores in the United States and Canada, and similar measures have already been piloted at stores in the United Kingdom, France, and Germany.

Countries around the world are also actively taking measures, and some have even enacted legislation to reduce the use of takeaway coffee cups.

In February 2021, South Korea announced that it would require coffee chains with 100 or more stores to charge consumers a deposit for using single-use items, including coffee cups, plastic straws, and stirrers. In April 2022, the scope of South Korea’s plastic ban was further expanded and enforcement strengthened, with more than 38,000 food and beverage establishments across the country beginning to implement a “single-use cup deposit system.”

Also in April 2022, the President of Ireland signed the Circular Economy and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2022, which is expected to take effect by the end of the year. This means that cafes or restaurants in Ireland will be prohibited from providing single-use cups to dine-in consumers and will charge an additional €0.2 for takeaway coffee cups.

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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.