Is Starbucks a Sustainable Coffee Shop?
Posted by Kelly Smith on Tue, Apr 06, 2010
The recent decision of Starbucks' shareholders to reject a new recycling proposal baffles many environmentally conscious consumers who are concerned about Starbucks' waste. Green blog
Treehugger cites the annual volume of U.S. Starbucks cups to end up in the landfill as 3 billion. Currently, only 10% of the fiber in these paper coffee cups comes from recycled material. Although this may not seem like enough, progress on the sustainability front seems to be coming slowly but surely for Starbucks. The company has stated that they plan to make all of their paper cups recyclable in the next five years. Concerned customers can also ask for a reusable mug to use in the store or bring their own travel mug for carryout coffee.
Recycling is certainly not the only issue that has been on the table lately. Starbucks has been on the eco-radar for the changes they are making to their stores to help combat climate change, such as installing LED lights in many stores as part of their efforts to reduce their carbon footprint through a general reduction of energy usage. Additionally, Starbucks is a member of
BICEP, or Business for Innovative Climate & Energy Policy, a group of businesses commited to encouraging renewable energy use,
along with businesses such as Best Buy. Starbucks is also a member of the EPA's Green Power Partnership (link to Green Power Partnership blog post). Starbucks shows a commitment to reducing climate change to their customers and shareholders by their purchase of 25% of their electricity usage as green power, which they plan to increase.