In a public letter to stakeholders, Starbucks Chief Executive Officer Kevin Johnson has set out a multi-decade commitment to be a ‘resource positive’ company.
The announcement included preliminary targets for the reduction of carbon emissions, water use and waste by 2030. It also outlined five strategies the company has identified to move toward them.
“As we approach the 50th anniversary of Starbucks in 2021, we are looking ahead with a heightened sense of urgency and conviction that we must challenge ourselves, think bigger and do much more in partnership with others to take care of the planet we share,” Mr Johnson (shown here) said.
The company’s aspiration is to become resource positive – storing more carbon than it emits, eliminating waste, and providing more clean, fresh water than it uses.
“This aspiration is grounded in Starbucks mission,” Mr Johnson said. “By embracing a longer-term economic, equitable and planetary value for our company, we will create greater value for all stakeholders.”
Starbucks plans to expand the use of plant-based options, migrating toward a more environmentally friendly menu; shift from single-use to reusable packaging; invest in innovative and regenerative agricultural practices, reforestation, forest conservation and water replenishment in its supply chain; invest in better ways to manage waste, both in its stores and in its communities, to ensure more reuse, recycling and elimination of food waste; and innovate to develop more eco-friendly stores, operations, manufacturing and delivery.
Mr Johnson also outlined three preliminary targets for 2030: a 50 per cent reduction in carbon emissions in Starbucks’ direct operations and supply chain; a 50 per cent reduction of water use for direct operations, with water use in coffee production ‘conserved or replenished’; and a 50 per cent reduction in waste sent to landfill from stores and manufacturing.
To underscore its commitment to the circular economy, Starbucks has signed the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy Global Commitment, setting ambitious circular targets for its packaging.
