Today after the client presentation, one student asked whether the company is checking their channel’s ethical working environment, especially during the massive change in demand. I was impressed by this question and wondered if Starbucks indicated this problem for their crucial project, ” Greener Stores.”
The “Greener store” is a new framework created with Starbucks and other collaborating companies aiming to reduce their massive environmental impact. As you might not have expected, Starbucks is not doing well with its sustainability strategy. According to WWF and Quantis, Starbucks was responsible for 16 million tons of green gas, 1 billion cubic meters of water, and 868 metric kilotons of waste in 2018. Moreover, Starbucks failed to meet its promise to make 100% of its cups reusable or recyclable by 2015.
To address this problem, Starbucks is implementing its new framework, “Greener Store.” This framework works on the following seven attributes listed below the graph. By building and retrofitting this framework in 10,000 Greener Stores globally by 2025, they anticipate reducing carbon emissions, water usage, and landfill waste by 50%. They also predict that they can reduce $50 million in utility fees in the next 10 years. Moreover, Starbucks is making this framework open-source since they understand the opportunity to spread their framework and cost efficiency in the long run.
While the first impression seemed fantastic, there was no information about their policies for channel members. Furthermore, they did not even post the investment amount or the percentage of stores they will incorporate into the framework. They are emphasizing the number of the greener store, which is 10000 stores. Although it is only one-fourth to one-fifth when looking at the fraction. I understand that it is difficult to put all information. However, considering Starbuck’s global influence, I feel this framework should be supported with more evidence for consumers to easily imagine the scale. Only time will tell whether this framework will be greenwashing in the future or not.
Starbucks Generates An Astronomical Amount Of Waste–Can It Stop? (fastcompany.com)
Number of Starbucks stores worldwide 2022 | Statista
Starbucks plans to open about 22,000 stores in the next ten years | CNN Business
Starbucks Greener Stores accelerate global movement towards a more sustainable future
How has Starbucks been environmentally friendly? – Eco-friendly lifestyle (asocon.org)
Starbucks Announces Global Greener Stores Commitment
Starbucks says, hold the milk to reduce carbon footprint | The Gazette
Starbucks targets 45,000 stores globally by the end of 2025 – World Coffee Portal
Starbucks is not an exception to the growing importance of sustainability in the corporate sector. While the “Greener Stores” concept is a step in the right direction, the company’s environmental effect remains a source of worry. Starbucks was responsible for a substantial quantity of greenhouse gas emissions, water use, and trash in 2018, according to research.
Although the “Greener Stores” strategy seeks to mitigate these impacts by upgrading and creating 10,000 stores globally by 2025, issues remain regarding how the corporation addresses sustainability across its supply chain. Furthermore, the lack of transparency on the amount of investment and the percentage of outlets that would be included in the framework raises doubts about the legitimacy of Starbucks’ sustainability initiatives.