Would you like guilt with your latte?

Starbucks recyclable and compostable cups

STARBUCKS plans to eliminate plastic straws from its stores by next year. Lyft has committed to “carbon neutrality.” Candy-maker Mondelez says all its wrappers will be recyclable by 2025, and Goldman Sachs has banished paper cups. But there’s scant evidence that these gestures benefit customers, shareholders, employees or the environment.

Consider Starbucks’ decision to ditch plastic straws for recyclable lids, supposedly reducing plastic waste. Straws are a tiny share of waste, accounting by one estimate for only about 0.025% of the eight million tons of plastic that flow annually into the ocean.