I found this year 2000 article that reflects the benefits for the environment as well as the bottom line for coffee companies.

“One of the key initiatives of the Starbucks Alliance partnership was to research and promote the possibility of moving away from disposable paper cups for beverages drunk in Starbucks stores. Research verified the environmental and financial benefits of reusable cups and glasses, lowering Starbucks’ packaging costs with only nominal increases in labor requirements or environmental impacts from running the dishwashers.”

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