Blue Bottle Coffee abandoned its plan to eliminate single

A customer holds a paper cup of Blue Bottle Coffee in Oakland in 2016. In 2019, the company announced an ambitious goal to abandon single-use cups entirely.

It seemed like another ambitious step by the pioneering Blue Bottle Coffee. In December 2019, the Oakland-founded chain that had helped popularize the pour-over method at coffee shops nationwide announced it would eliminate single-use cups and sell its beans in bulk, not bags, to go "zero waste" by 2020.

In a press release, then-CEO Bryan Meehan called the plan a "promise" and "an experiment that may not work, that may cost us money." He told The Chronicle he hoped it would influence its parent company, Nestle, the world's largest food and beverage corporation, to consider more green initiatives. (Nestle purchased a majority stake in Blue Bottle in 2017.)

But four years after taking up this goal, Blue Bottle outlets continue to hand out single-use cups for patrons to sip on the company's chicory-infused New Orleans iced coffee and other beverages on-site. Bags of Blue Bottle's single-origin beans and blends now come in single-use plastic bags, a step backward from the company's previously used compostable paper bags. Few patrons bring their own drinkware, and none of the planned returnable cups are available for folks who forget their favorite travel mug.

The Chronicle visited five Blue Bottle locations around the Bay Area and found all still offered disposable retail packaging and compostable cups. A company representative said the zero waste plan "was put on pause due to temporary cafe closures and concerns around the COVID-19 pandemic."

"We have since adjusted our sustainability plan," the representative went on, highlighting new changes like "a food waste reduction program and new standards like post-consumer recycled content thresholds in paper products." Meanwhile, the company stated it switched to plastic bags to better preserve beans.

The company's initial plans set a goal to divert over 90% of waste from landfills, as laid out by international environmental coalition Zero Waste International Alliance. The plans included eliminating single-use cups, of which the company used an estimated 12 million per year across its U.S. locations; today, there are more than 100 locations worldwide. (While these cups were compostable or recyclable, Blue Bottle's announcement conceded that "too many" ended up in landfills anyway, where they wouldn't break down.)

Eliminating throwaway cups wasn't a new idea, but this scope was unprecedented.

At the time, Blue Bottle already composted used coffee grounds and recycled aluminum cans and glass bottles. But the goal was to go further: most notably implementing a deposit system for to-go containers, with customers paying a returnable fee when renting a cup.

All of Blue Bottle's U.S. cafes were supposed to reach the zero waste goals by the end of 2020, according to the initial announcement. But the pandemic shifted this timeline to half of all U.S. cafes by the end of 2021, and all stateside locations by the end of 2023, according to a 2021 press release. The release also touted its Jackson Square, San Francisco, location, which was to act as a "testing ground for sustainability initiatives." The store had achieved 98% diversion of waste from landfill, according to the company.

In a recent Chronicle visit to Blue Bottle's Jackson Square cafe, a drink came in a disposable cup.

The Blue Bottle representative told The Chronicle that "reuse remains an important tool within zero waste." Customers receive a 25 cent discount for bringing their own reusable cup, they noted, adding that the company did implement a reusable cup pilot program in 2022 at one location, in Old Oakland — for employees only.

The Blue Bottle representative added that the company is "absolutely continuing with the zero waste diversion plans," though its goal to eliminate single-use cups has been "shelved."

Other Blue Bottle environmental initiatives appear to have been rolled out more successfully. Beginning in 2021, Blue Bottle piloted a program to make oat milk the default for its drinks while still offering dairy, which Blue Bottle estimated to be a leading source of emissions at its cafes. Baristas at each Blue Bottle location The Chronicle visited asked if oat milk was fine to use.

Otgontsetseg Erhemjamts, dean at the University of San Francisco School of Management, emphasized the importance of having players in the private sector and public sector working toward better practices.

Local governments around the Bay Area have passed measures to curb landfill waste. San Francisco and other jurisdictions require residents and businesses to separate refuse into waste, recycling and compostables. Marin County's reusable foodware ordinance, which takes effect in November of this year, requires restaurants preparing food to go to use compostable containers and foodware. Berkeley, seen as a leader in the movement, requires restaurants to charge 25 cents for every throwaway cup as a means to encourage the use of reusable cups, but relaxed enforcement during the pandemic, according to a city commission.

Ultimately, said Erhemjamts, cost is a major barrier. A single-use plastic container can be as cheap as 12 cents. Cafes that opt for reusables need to not only purchase the pricier cups but also pay for the labor to retrieve and wash them. "If it were cheap, all companies would have been doing these sustainable approaches a long time ago," Erhemjamts said.

There are related logistical challenges, too. San Francisco startup Dispatch Goods tracks and cleans reusable containers for local companies. While the company began working with coffee shops and restaurants in 2020, it currently focuses on meal and grocery delivery companies, such as Imperfect Foods.

CEO Lindsey Hoell said the pandemic and fears of COVID contamination largely halted the momentum in the reusables industry among companies, even if consumer demand didn't really wane. "We found people felt really bad about the waste from takeout and delivery sitting in their household," she said.

Even if some sustainability goals are not met as originally intended, for whatever reason, making real progress that can be tracked is ultimately a win, Erhemjamts said.

"That's how you know you’re making a difference and not just greenwashing," she said.

This story has been update to clarify that Blue Bottle's zero waste goals remain in place despite its reversal on single-use cups.

Mario Cortez (He/Him) is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: [email protected]