Starbucks Plastic Shot Cup (2020)

In 2020, Starbucks’s “plastic shot cup” most likely refers to the reusable-style plastic cups the company offered as part of its sustainability push, including seasonal or holiday designs such as the 16 oz reusable plastic hot cups released around that time, which sometimes featured color-changing effects and were sold as merchandise rather than being disposable single-use cups — these were designed to look like Starbucks drinkware but be washed and reused to cut down on waste. They’re made of food-safe polypropylene plastic and resemble smaller versions of the brand’s standard cold or hot drink tumblers, and customers could bring them back to Starbucks for use with their orders to reduce single-use cups.