Starbucks is rolling out paper straws at some of its stores starting in September
- Starbucks is rolling out paper straws at some of its stores in South Korea starting next month, Yonhap News reported Wednesday night.
- The paper straws will appear at 100 Starbucks locations in and around Seoul on September 10 and expand to more cities by November.
- The test run is part of the coffee chain's overall phase-out of plastic straws, which the company announced in July, as part of its move to reduce negative impacts on the environment.
- Plastic straws will disappear from all Starbucks stores globally by 2020.
Starbucks will test new paper straws in its South Korean stores starting in September, Yonhap News reported on Wednesday night.
The paper straws will show up in 100 stores across Seoul on September 10 and expand to more cities by November. It's part of the coffee chain's plan to eliminate traditional plastic straws at its stores globally by 2020.
Starbucks first announced the plan in July. In addition to the new paper straws, the coffee retailer is also putting strawless lids on some of its cups. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the paper straw plan for its South Korean locations.
The change falls in line with Starbucks' effort to reduce negative impacts on the environment. Plastic straws can take hundreds of years to biodegrade. Large accumulations of plastic waste can create additional problems in rivers and oceans.
Some large metropolitan areas in the US, including parts of California, New York, and Florida, have also implemented, or proposed plans to cut plastic-straw use.