We share our customers' commitment to the environment
And we believe in the importance of caring for our planet working with and encouraging others to do the same. As a company that relies on an agricultural product, it makes good business sense. And as people living in the world, it is simply the right thing to do.
- Recycling
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It’s a big challenge and we’re making big progress. We’re trying to develop more environmentally friendly cups and are working hard to expand our recycling program in an effort to reduce the waste we create.
- Energy
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We are proud of the work we have done to be more energy efficient and we’re committed to further minimizing our energy consumption and using renewable sources of energy to lower our impact on the planet.
- Water
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We all have to work carefully with one of our most valuable natural resources and we’re evaluating our store design, equipment and operations to identify ways to continue to reduce the amount of water we use.
- Green Building
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We’re making our stores as green as we can by using responsible building materials and energy efficient designs to reduce our environmental footprint.
- Climate Change
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Climate change poses a serious threat to the world’s coffee-growing regions and we’re aggressively pursuing strategies to address this problem and help farmers mitigate the impact.
5 Easy Resolutions to Tackle in 2012
We do it every year. We come up with a lengthy list of New Years resolutions that will transform our lives! We swear to finally use that gym membership, lose 10 pounds, pay off our credit cards and bulk up our savings account, all while keeping the house spotless and learning to speak Chinese. Sound familiar?
In the middle of all that, it can be easy to miss those smaller goals that, easy as they are to carry out, come with exponential benefits. This year, feel free to take it easy and still make a difference. Here are five ways:
Cup Summit 3
Starbucks held its third Cup Summit in Boston last week, gathering over 100 packaging industry leaders to discuss solutions for the recyclability of cups and other packaging. In addition to the meeting itself, there was a great 2011 Cup Summit webcast with expert representatives from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Tim Horton’s, Georgia-Pacific and Action Carting Environmental Services.
The Summit was a great success, with everyone feeling like we made a lot of progress solving this difficult issue. We met in the incredible MIT Media Lab, hosted by Peter Senge, senior lecturer at MIT and founding chair of the Society for Organizational Learning. Peter and his team helped the group focus on system solutions that consider the entire life of cups and packaging: sourcing of raw materials, use by our customers and final disposal.
Live from the 2011 Cup Summit
I’m in Boston for Starbucks third Cup Summit, an effort that began in 2009 and has brought together 100 leaders throughout the paper and plastic cup value chain for a common purpose – to find a way to make food packaging and serveware recyclable. We are working with more representatives from suppliers, cup manufacturers, retail and beverage businesses, recyclers, NGOs, and academic experts– even competitors. We know that together we can find innovative solutions for our cups and packaging and make a meaningful impact.
On Friday, Sept. 9, I’ll be hosting a panel discussion at the Cup Summit with experts from MIT, Tim Horton’s, Georgia-Pacific and New York waste management company Action Carting Environmental Services. We’ll talk about the common challenges we face, the progress we have made, and ideas for the future.
I hope you’ll join the conversation at our live webcast on Friday, Sept. 9 at 12 p.m. Eastern/9 a.m. Pacific at www.starbucks.com/cupsummit or on Starbucks Facebook page. Submit your questions and ideas on Twitter by using the hashtag #cupsummit or Facebook.
Jim Hanna is director of environmental impact for Starbucks.
