Starbucks Commits to a Resource-Positive Future
Starbucks has been making big moves in sustainability — from greener cups to strawless lids to responsibly sourced coffee. Yesterday, CEO Kevin Johnson announced a new, multi-decade aspiration to be resource positive, giving more than it takes from the planet.
On its path toward a resource-positive future, Starbucks announced preliminary ten-year targets focused on first reducing its carbon emissions, water use and waste. Ultimately, the company plans to store more carbon than it emits, eliminate waste and provide more clean freshwater than it uses.
By 2030, Starbucks will target:
1. A 50% reduction in carbon emissions in Starbucks direct operations and supply chain.
2. A 50% reduction of water withdrawal for direct operations and coffee production will be conserved or replenished with a focus on communities and basins with high water risk.
3. A 50% reduction in waste sent to landfill from stores and manufacturing, driven by a broader shift toward a circular economy. To underscore its commitment to the circular economy, Starbucks is signing the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy Global Commitment.
These ten-year targets are Starbucks first milestones on an ambitious journey to become resource positive. They plan to get there by:
• Expanding plant-based options, migrating toward a more environmentally friendly menu;
• Shifting from single use to reusable packaging;
• Investing in innovative and regenerative agricultural practices, reforestation and water replenishment in our supply chain;
• Investing in better ways to manage our waste, both in our stores and in our communities, to ensure more reuse, recycling and elimination of food waste;
• Pursuing innovation to develop more eco-friendly stores, operations, manufacturing and delivery.
For the first time, Starbucks also released a comprehensive environmental baseline report detailing its global waste output, water usage and carbon emissions in 2018. Created in partnership with Quantis and World Wildlife Fund, it will serve as a baseline for measuring and reporting future progress on all these fronts. Starbucks will also work in concert with the Science Based Target initiative (SBTi) to help track progress in conjunction with other companies.
Learn more about Starbucks sustainability commitments and progress here.