The letter asks only that Starbucks establish a group to investigate ways to waste less material. Beverage containers were not the only things mentioned, and bulk packaging is often a good place to make those savings. Cisco actually mentions on its Web site that it's multi-packs of some hardware items are sent in less wasteful packaging.

Not all Starbucks customers are "buy and flee" purchasers. One of our independent shops does in fact serve coffee in ceramic cups if requested by patrons who intend to stick around for a while.

Many patrons request their coffee be served in two nested cups in order to keep the coffee warmer longer, but also to prevent the cup from becoming uncomfortably hot. I do not know whether Starbucks does this, but it would be hard to turn a customer down if they ask for this. An alternative some vendors use is a small corrugated insulating sleeve, which presumably saves material and money.