Dunkin’ Donuts ditches foam cups, grabs big media buzz

Dunkin’ Donuts wants to be more environmentally friendly.

At least, that’s the gist of a press release announcing it will phase out foam cups by 2020. It tweeted:

More sustainable, while still keeping your beverages hot and your hands cool. By mid-2020, all DD US restaurants will be serving hot coffee in our new double-walled paper cup. Learn more: https://t.co/etBFcTZfL5 pic.twitter.com/nqb2chJfBL

— Dunkin' Donuts (@dunkindonuts) February 7, 2018

The switch is part of a wider company effort to be more environmentally responsible. Its press release highlights other goals, including eco-friendly stores and sustainably sourcing coffee and palm oil.

The press release states:

The move complements Dunkin’ Donuts’ earlier commitments in the U.S. to have 80% of fiber-based consumer-facing packaging certified to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative Standard by the end of this year; eliminate artificial dyes from its menu; build new, more energy-efficient restaurants; and partner with the Rainforest Alliance to source certified coffee.

The move is not without risk to its branding.

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The Washington Post wrote:

The company’s logo, after all, is not a Boston cream doughnut or glaze-stained fingers. It is a steaming cup of coffee.

That logo will stay the same, even if the nearly 70-year-old company is entering its post-foam cup era.

“We have a responsibility to improve our packaging, making it better for the planet while still meeting the needs of our guests,” Karen Raskopf, chief communications and sustainability officer for the company, said in a statement detailing the changes.

“Transitioning away from foam has been a critical goal for Dunkin’ Donuts U.S., and with the double-walled cup, we will be able to offer a replacement that meets the needs and expectations of both our customers and the communities we serve.”

The Washington Post continued:

The company is also trying to help franchisees build sustainable, energy-efficient buildings. There are food changes, too: coffee beans certified by the Rainforest Alliance, cage-free eggs and crate-free pork.

At the same time, Dunkin’ Donuts is trying to position itself as a beverage-led business, according to CBS News, selling a limited amount of “core doughnuts” in streamlined stores and even mulling eliminating the second d-word from its name.

Some questioned why it would take so long to roll out the new cups:

Do they really need two years to get ready for this?!!https://t.co/pjLIMxHdhe

— Lee Camp [Redacted] (@LeeCamp) February 8, 2018

Others praised the move:

Today, in good news: Dunkin’ Donuts to Eliminate Foam Cups Worldwide in 2020 https://t.co/MXNgYP6oPg

— Julia Pyper (@JMPyper) February 7, 2018

I never liked those styrofoam cups for my espressos. Dunkin' Donuts is making another big change https://t.co/oMtwcWV5oB

— Johnny Diaz (@johnnydiazbooks) February 8, 2018

Some online wags quipped that the cups were the least of the chain’s problems:

Dunkin Donuts has announced they will replace their styrofoam cups with paper cups by 2020 after complaints that their breakfast sandwiches tasted like their cups.

— Scott williams (@scott28929670) February 8, 2018

Others seemed upset about the change:

I'll never buy your coffee again, Styrofoam or nothing!

— Cruisey (@kryznic) February 7, 2018

Why switch now? Some argue that Dunkin’ isn’t so much responding to consumer desires as courting environmentally concerned investors.

The Washington Post wrote:

“More and more [environmental progress from companies] is the trend,” Magali Delmas, a UCLA economist who studies the environmental decisions companies and consumers make, told The Post. “It’s really not just a question of changing consumer behaviors, but there are also socially responsible investors, and I think companies are trying to be responsive to those investors.”

Another benefit, Delmas said, is companies can find cost savings in a cup switch and tuck that into an environmentally-friendly packaging change.

What do you think of Dunkin’s eco-friendly campaign, PR Daily readers?

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