This page shows data from our 2018 Report. For the most up-to-date goals and progress, see our <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2022/starbucks-global-environmental-and-social-impact-report-2021/">2021 Global Environmental &amp; Social Impact Report</a>.

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Our 2018 Global Social Impact Report reflects our aspirations and marks our progress as a company in the areas where we can make the biggest impact – leading in sustainability, strengthening communities and creating opportunities. 

The Pursuit of Doing Good

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<a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Policy Statements and Previous Year Reports (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.starbucks.com/responsibility/global-report" target="_blank">Policy Statements and Previous Reports</a>

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2018 Starbucks Global Social Impact Report : Starbucks Stories Asia

Starbucks Stories Asia

2018 Starbucks Global Social Impact Report

Our 2018 Global Social Impact Report reflects our aspirations and marks our progress as a company in the areas where we can make the biggest impact.

https://stories.starbucks.com/asia/stories/2019/2018-starbucks-global-social-impact-report/

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Today, Starbucks continues its commitment to reducing its environmental impact by joining World Wildlife Fund’s <a href="http://www.resource-plastic.com">ReSource: Plastic</a> as a Principal Member.

<a href="http://www.resource-plastic.com">ReSource: Plastic</a> will serve as an important resource for Starbucks ongoing sustainability initiatives, which include greener cups and packaging as well as greener stores and renewable energy. This announcement follows recent progress toward its goals of <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2018/starbucks-to-eliminate-plastic-straws-globally-by-2020/">phasing out plastic straws</a> and trialing a <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2019/greener-cups-fewer-straws-and-tracing-your-coffees-journey-via-app/">Greener Cup</a> solution.

“World Wildlife Fund is a key partner for Starbucks in our efforts to continue minimizing our environmental footprint,” said John Kelly, Senior Vice President of Global Public Affairs and Social Impact, Starbucks. “We look forward to being a part of ReSource: Plastic as we know it takes collaboration to find scalable, truly impactful solutions. We’re committed to learning and leading alongside other brands as we work toward our aspiration of sustainable coffee, served sustainably.”

Starbucks participation in ReSource: Plastic builds on an existing partnership with WWF to co-develop <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2018/starbucks-announces-global-greener-stores-commitment/">Starbucks Greener Stores</a> framework as part of a commitment to design, build and operate 10,000 Greener Stores globally by 2025.

Read WWF’s ReSource: Plastic <a href="http://www.resource-plastic.com/news.html">Press Release</a>.&nbsp;

Starbucks Joins World Wildlife Fund’s ReSource: Plastic as Principal Member : Starbucks Stories Asia

Starbucks Joins World Wildlife Fund’s ReSource: Plastic as Principal Member

Starbucks continues its commitment to reducing its environmental impact by joining World Wildlife Fund’s ReSource: Plastic as a Principal Member.

Starbucks joins World Wildlife Fund’s ReSource: Plastic as Principal Member

https://stories.starbucks.com/asia/stories/2019/starbucks-joins-world-wildlife-funds-resource-plastic-as-principal-member/

The new $1 billion Sustainability Bond will support Starbucks ethical coffee sourcing and its Greener Retail initiative&nbsp;

A portion of the funds will support a new $20 million investment in responsAbility Investments AG as part of Starbucks Global Farmer Fund that supports coffee farmers and their communities

SEATTLE – Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ: SBUX) today announced that it has completed issuance of a $1 billion Sustainability Bond. It is the largest Sustainability Bond the Company has issued to date and follows two previously issued Sustainability Bonds in <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2016/starbucks-issues-the-first-u-s-corporate-sustainability-bond/" target="_blank">2016</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2017/starbucks-offers-its-first-sustainability-bond-in-japan/" target="_blank">2017</a>.&nbsp;

“We are very pleased to see that our new Sustainability Bond attracted significant investor interest and was oversubscribed,” said Patrick Grismer, cfo of Starbucks. “The bond demonstrates Starbucks commitment to meaningful, continual progress toward our aspiration of sustainable coffee, served sustainably. It also illustrates a trend toward heavier interest from investors in our socially and environmentally focused projects – in this case supporting coffee farmers and leading in green retail.”

Grismer added that Starbucks leadership in social and environmental responsibility “is a defining element of who we are as a company. Our intent is that, by issuing a Sustainability Bond, we’re providing investors an opportunity to participate in our sustainability efforts, and our hope is that this inspires others to pursue more sustainability-related investing opportunities.”

Support for Coffee Farmers

As with the two previously issued Sustainability Bonds, funds will support ethically sourced coffee. The scope&nbsp;includes&nbsp;purchasing coffee&nbsp;that is verified by Coffee and Farmer Equity&nbsp;<a href="https://www.starbucks.com/responsibility/community/farmer-support/farmer-loan-programs" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">(C.A.F.E.) Practices</a>;&nbsp;the continued development and operation of Farmer Support&nbsp;Centers&nbsp;and agronomy research and development&nbsp;centers&nbsp;in coffee-growing regions around the world;&nbsp;and new and refinanced loans&nbsp;to coffee farmers&nbsp;made through Starbucks $50 million&nbsp;<a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2015/starbucks-more-than-doubles-global-farmer-loan-commitment/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Global Farmer Fund</a>.&nbsp;

New to the Starbucks Global Farmer Fund and supported by funds from the bond, Starbucks has partnered with responsAbility Investments AG, an asset manager in development investments, on a $20 million investment to provide debt financing to coffee producer organizations in Latin America, Africa and Asia to support the operations of coffee farmers. 

&nbsp;“We are excited to have the Starbucks Global Farmer Fund as a significant investor,” said Anand Chandani, Global Head of Agriculture Debt Financing at responsAbility. “We see synergies with Starbucks in building the sustainable coffee value chain, supporting smallholder farmer engagement and in fostering market linkages.”

As a new, expanded scope, the&nbsp;bond&nbsp;will also help fund&nbsp;the company’s Greener Retail commitments, including its Greener Stores initiative,&nbsp;announced in September, to design, build and operate 10,000 Greener Stores globally by 2025. The open-source Starbucks Greener Store Framework,&nbsp;which Starbucks&nbsp;developed&nbsp;in partnership with World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and SCS Global Services, focuses on commitments to energy efficiency, renewable energy, water stewardship, waste reduction and more.&nbsp;In addition to Greener Stores, funds will also support investments in greener cups and packaging as Starbucks works to reduce our environmental footprint with such projects as the global rollout of strawless lids and identifying the next generation of recyclable and/or compostable cups.

According to Sustainalytics, which provided a <a href="https://www.sustainalytics.com/sustainable-finance/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Starbucks-Sustainability-Bond-Second-Party-Opinion_05012019.pdf">Second-Party Opinion</a> on the bond, Starbucks&nbsp;has aligned&nbsp;its Eligible Sustainability Projects in the new bond with the priorities outlined in the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals, established in 2015, as well as with the 2018 Sustainability Bond Guidelines&nbsp;(SBG).

“We applaud Starbucks efforts to broaden its social and environmental programs and to align its eligible projects with the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals,” said Heather Lang, executive director of Sustainalytics’ Sustainable Finance Solutions team. “In addition, Starbucks inclusion of its Greener Retail initiative is a meaningful addition to its Sustainability Bond.”

As with any Sustainability Bond and outlined in the Green Bond Principles, the company must report on how the funds are spent and the impact they have made against the initiatives. Starbucks will publish annual updates of the allocation of the proceeds throughout the term of the sustainability bond until the proceeds have been fully allocated to projects meeting the eligibility criteria.&nbsp;These updates will be reported publicly at www.starbucks.com and may include additional descriptions of select projects funded with sustainability bond proceeds and their environmental and/or social impacts.&nbsp;

“Morgan Stanley is proud to support Starbucks&nbsp;in their third and largest Sustainability Bond in three years, and their continued commitment to the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals,”&nbsp;said Audrey Choi, Chief Sustainability Officer at Morgan Stanley, which acted as the Sustainability Structuring Agent and a joint book-running manager on the transaction. 

“The market capacity to raise $1 billion of earmarked funds directed to Starbucks&nbsp;existing and new sustainability objectives, including the design, construction and operation of 10,000 Greener Stores globally by 2025,&nbsp;demonstrates increasing awareness and growth of support of sustainability objectives amongst the investor community,”&nbsp;added Dolph Habeck, Head of ESG Debt Syndicate at Morgan Stanley. 

The 30-year Sustainability Bond is part of a larger bond offering of $2 billion,&nbsp;with another $1 billion bond issued for general corporate purposes including the repurchase of common stock as part of the previously communicated $25 billion shareholder return target. The issuance is in line with Starbucks commitment to a leverage cap of 3x lease-adjusted EBITDAR and a minimum credit rating of BBB+Baa1. 

For more information on Starbucks priorities related to sustainable coffee served sustainably, visit <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2019/from-ethical-sourcing-to-stores-powered-by-the-sun/">this piece</a> on Starbucks Stories. For more information on impact to date from past Sustainability Bonds, visit our website’s <a href="https://www.starbucks.com/responsibility/environment">environment</a> and <a href="https://www.starbucks.com/responsibility/sourcing/coffee">ethical coffee</a> sections.

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Since 1971, Starbucks Coffee Company has been committed to ethically sourcing and roasting high-quality&nbsp;arabica coffee. Today, with more than 30,000 stores around the globe, Starbucks is the premier roaster and retailer of specialty coffee in the world. Through our unwavering commitment to excellence and our guiding principles, we bring the unique Starbucks Experience to life for every customer through every cup. To share in the experience, please visit us in our stores or online at&nbsp;<a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://stories.starbucks.com/</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="http://www.starbucks.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">www.Starbucks.com</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements contained in this release are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable securities laws and regulations, including statements about the expected closing of a public offering or senior notes and the use of proceeds of such offering. Such forward-looking statements are based on current management expectations and satisfactions of certain conditions that are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including market conditions and those risks detailed in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the “Risk Factors” section of the Starbucks Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018, and the prospectus and prospectus supplement delivered in connection with the public offering of senior notes discussed in this release. The company assumes no obligation to update any of these forward-looking statements.

Starbucks Completes Issuance of Third and Largest Sustainability Bond : Starbucks Stories Asia

Starbucks Completes Issuance of Third and Largest Sustainability Bond

The new $1 billion Sustainability Bond will support Starbucks ethical coffee sourcing and its Greener Retail initiative.

https://stories.starbucks.com/asia/stories/2019/starbucks-completes-issuance-of-third-and-largest-sustainability-bond/

Starbucks announces latest progress and plans for sustainable coffee, served sustainably

Company will trial new greener cups in several markets worldwide in the coming year, roll out new strawless lids in the U.S. and Canada, and provide customers an opportunity to digitally trace their coffee’s journey from seed to cup

SEATTLE – Sipping your hot coffee from a paper cup that you can recycle or compost in your community. Enjoying a cold coffee beverage with a recyclable, strawless lid instead of a conventional plastic straw. And checking the Starbucks mobile app to see the journey of your packaged coffee beans as they were grown, processed, traded and roasted. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Starbucks leadership will unveil progress and plans on all these fronts at the <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2019/coverage-of-starbucks-2019-annual-meeting-of-shareholders/">company’s annual meeting of shareholders</a>, noting that sustainable coffee, served sustainably is an area of particular passion for Starbucks and its more than 380,000 partners (employees) around the world.

“It was at our shareholders meeting one year ago that we launched multi-year initiatives around greener cups and digitally traceable coffee,” said Kevin Johnson, president and ceo of Starbucks. “Today thanks to many valuable collaborations, we’re seeing significant, tangible progress toward a greener future.”

Over the next year in several markets worldwide, the company will trial new, greener cups. Shareholders will hear the news today as they sip coffee from one of the cup technologies that will be trialed. Starbucks customers in New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver and London will help test a few different cups that will be both recyclable and compostable in those municipalities’ facilities. Starbucks will choose the cup technologies from <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2019/closed-loop-partners-announces-12-winners-of-the-nextgen-cup-challenge/">NextGen Cup Challenge winners</a> announced earlier this month, working with expertise and support from the <a href="https://www.nextgenconsortium.com/">NextGen Consortium</a>.&nbsp;

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Starbucks initiated the Consortium last spring with Closed Loop Partners, and its mission includes identifying cup technologies that can be both recyclable and compostable on a global scale. In addition, the Consortium aims to leverage the scale of its powerful members and industry experts – which a year later include not only Starbucks but also another founding partner McDonald’s, along with supporting partners The Coca-Cola Company, Nestlé, Yum! Brands, Wendy’s and advisory partner the World Wildlife Fund – to work with municipalities to increase acceptance of these new paper cups in recycling and composting programs by showing their value and ability to be recovered and diverted from landfills. 

The Consortium’s work supports Starbucks many efforts to <a href="https://www.starbucks.com/responsibility/environment">minimize its environmental footprint</a>, which include a goal made in 2016 to double the recycled content, recyclability and the reusability of its cups by 2022.

“It is with great intention that we move forward with highly collaborative and innovative work to bring both recyclable and compostable cups to scale around the world,” Johnson said. “We are reimagining the future for Starbucks, and for the more than 30,000 communities we serve each day, with a great sense of responsibility for a more sustainable planet.” 

“We applaud Starbucks speed in committing to test NextGen winners that were identified less than a month ago, and the innovative collaboration at work here among so many global food and beverage companies,” said Kate Daly, Executive Director of the Center for the Circular Economy at Closed Loop Partners. “We look forward to continuing to build on this momentum, so that we can help recyclable and compostable options be the norm rather than the exception for to-go cups.”

Starbucks will roll out new lightweight, recyclable strawless lids to all stores in the United States and Canada in the next year. This is a key milestone as the company works to phase out plastic straws from its more than 30,000 stores worldwide by 2020, eliminating more than 1 billion straws a year – a goal that was <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2018/starbucks-announces-environmental-milestone/">announced last July.</a>

Newly redesigned, lightweight recyclable strawless lids will roll out this summer to Starbucks locations in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington, D.C., Indianapolis and Toronto, while the rest of the U.S. and Canada will receive them by early 2020. 

The new lids have 9% less plastic than the current lid and straw. Frappuccino® drinks and other blended beverages will continue to have a different, domed lid made from recyclable plastic and will be accompanied by a straw, except where local law prohibits it. Starbucks is testing alternative material straws for blended beverages and is exploring some of this month’s winning NextGen technologies that could apply to straws. (Plastic straws will continue to be available upon request for Starbucks customers who need or request them.) 

“We are pleased to see Starbucks exploring more ways to reduce its overall plastic footprint less than a year after first announcing its decision to phase out plastic straws,” said Susan Ruffo, managing director for international initiatives at Ocean Conservancy. “Redesigning products and packaging to be more sustainable is a long-term commitment, not a one-time decision, and Starbucks is clearly in for the long haul. We look forward to seeing how the company continues to do its part to fight ocean plastic and we hope others follow suit.”

“Starbucks is invested in developing solutions that seek to improve the sustainability of their products,” said Erin Simon, Director of Sustainability R&amp;D at World Wildlife Fund. “When companies begin to rethink their plastic footprint, innovation, research and measurement are the key elements needed to set them on a path toward continuous improvement.”

Starbucks will preview a feature for the Starbucks mobile app that shows its coffee beans' journey from bean to cup. Senior vice president of Global Coffee &amp; Tea Michelle Burns will unveil for shareholders a future feature for the Starbucks mobile app. The reveal will accompany an on-stage tasting of digitally traceable Starbucks Pike Place® Roast, the package of which, in the future app feature, can be scanned to see its journey &nbsp;from origin to the package.

As the audience will sip their Pike Place from one of the new greener cups the company will trial, they’ll learn that 80% of their cup’s coffee beans came from Colombia and 20% came from Brazil. They’ll see the beans are verified as 100% ethically and sustainably sourced; information about Starbucks responsible sourcing standards and open-source Farmer Support Center in Colombia; where the beans were roasted, (in Kent, Wash.); and brewing tips for a perfect cup.

Now one year into a two-year project to explore the benefits of digital traceability, Burns emphasizes Starbucks ambition of <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2019/knowledge-is-valuable-coffee-journey-going-digital-for-customers-farmers/">greater empowerment for coffee farmers</a> as customers better understand where their coffee comes from and who grows it. Eventually, customers will be able to use the Starbucks mobile app to trace the journey of their Starbucks packaged coffee.

“We’re thrilled to be working with Starbucks and its suppliers on engaging coffee farmers in real, two-way dialogue on this topic,” said Bambi Semroc, Vice President of Sustainable Markets and Strategy for Conservation International, which is conducting farmer interviews in Costa Rica, Rwanda and Colombia for the project. “We are innovating to help connect coffee drinkers with coffee communities, with the goal to return more value to farmers by first listening to their stories, their knowledge and their needs.”

Costa Rican Coffee Institute (ICAFE) has also been focused on the importance of access to information in coffee farming communities. Xinia Chaves, Executive Director of ICAFE said, “We’ve learned in the past year that collecting and communicating transparent information throughout the entire coffee value chain of Café de Costa Rica has an enormous impact for all the actors that take part in it.” 

Greener cups, fewer straws and tracing your coffee’s journey via app : Starbucks Stories Asia

Greener cups, fewer straws and tracing your coffee’s journey via app

Starbucks announces latest progress and plans for sustainable coffee, served sustainably.

Greener Cups, Fewer Straws and Tracing Your Coffee’s Journey via App

https://stories.starbucks.com/asia/stories/2019/greener-cups-fewer-straws-and-tracing-your-coffees-journey-via-app/

Starbucks, McDonald’s and other industry leaders partner in pre-competitive collaboration to push the boundaries of sustainable design and find innovative cup solutions.

The NextGen Consortium, convened by Closed Loop Partners,&nbsp; announced today the winners of the NextGen Cup Challenge - an open-sourced, global innovation challenge to redesign the fiber to-go cup and create a widely recyclable and/or compostable cup. 

After a rigorous four-month review process by an esteemed group of judges including NextGen Consortium business leaders, as well as experts in recycling, composting and packaging, the Challenge narrowed the nearly 500 submissions from over 50 countries down to 12 winners. 

These 12 winning solutions -- broadly categorized into innovative cup liners, new materials, and reusable cup service models -- have the potential to turn the 250 billion fiber to-go cups used annually from waste into a valuable material in the recycling system. 

“This is a notable milestone to achieve our aspiration of sustainable coffee, served sustainably which is a particular passion for our over 350,000 Starbucks partners,” said John Kelly, Senior Vice President of Global Public Affairs and Social Impact at Starbucks. “We’re a founding partner of the NextGen Consortium because we believe it will take the scale and influence of many global companies to make recyclable, compostable to-go cups an industry standard rather than the exception.”

Many of the largest players in the food and beverage industry have united within the NextGen Consortium, making it a unique pre-competitive collaboration. Starbucks and McDonald’s were early investors and founding partners of the NextGen Consortium, with The Coca-Cola Company, Yum! Brands, Nestlé and Wendy’s joining as supporting partners. The World Wildlife Fund acts as an advisory member of the Consortium, and OpenIDEO is an innovation partner. Collectively representing a significant portion of the cups market, these brands are not only demonstrating their commitment to ending cup waste and driving innovation in packaging, but also accelerating the paths to global scale. 

“McDonald’s is proud to work with such an unprecedented number of brands to address the issue of fiber to-go cups,” said Marion Gross, Senior Vice President and Chief Supply Chain Officer, McDonald’s USA. “Collaboration is what we need to truly move the needle, amplify impact and bring solutions to scale quickly.”

The NextGen Challenge winner solutions are advancing the transition to a more circular economy where materials are continuously cycled and reliance on raw materials is reduced.&nbsp; “By working across the entire value chain and engaging key stakeholders, winners of the NextGen Cup Challenge are tackling a complex problem in a holistic way, sending valuable material back into the supply chain - benefiting people, the planet, and businesses,” said Erin Simon, Director, Sustainability R&amp;D, World Wildlife Fund.

Up to six winners will enter the NextGen Circular Business Accelerator, where they’ll gain access to a network of experts, business and technical resources and testing opportunities to ensure these innovations can successfully scale to serve the needs of the industry and maintain the performance standards we know and trust.

The Challenge is just the first stage of the NextGen Consortium’s three-year effort.&nbsp; Next, the NextGen Circular Business Accelerator, with testing and piloting opportunities, will help solutions get onto the shelf.&nbsp; Further, the Consortium is working with suppliers, recyclers and composters to ensure that the winning solutions can get successfully recovered for the highest value. The Consortium will work together to support the needs of the recycling and composting system and identify ways to make it easy for consumers to choose the right bin.

"The level of interest we saw in the Challenge demonstrates a real appetite for long-lasting sustainable packaging solutions," said Kate Daly, Executive Director of the Center for the Circular Economy at Closed Loop Partners. "This level of industry collaboration in support of the NextGen Cup Challenge is really exciting, and we look forward to building on this momentum to encourage more innovative solutions. Fully recoverable fiber to-go cups are just the beginning."

The 12 Winners of the Challenge

These companies are rethinking the polyethylene plastic liners in cups that can currently make to-go cups difficult to recycle.

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These companies are using cutting edge, plant-based materials in their cups so that they are compostable.

Category Three: Reusable Cup Service Models 

The cups made by these companies aren’t single-use, they just keep cycling -&nbsp; remaining in service by harnessing the power of technology and design.

About NextGen Each year, an estimated 250 billion fiber to-go cups are distributed worldwide. Most of these are not recyclable or compostable. The NextGen Cup Consortium and Challenge launched in 2018 to bring together entrepreneurs, industry, and recyclers to identify and commercialize the next generation of recyclable and/or compostable cups. Closed Loop Partners, Starbucks, McDonald’s, The Coca-Cola Company, Yum! Brands, Nestlé and Wendy’s invite the industry to join this effort to identify a global solution to this shared challenge. About Closed Loop Partners Closed Loop Partners is an investment platform that invests in sustainable consumer goods, recycling and the development of the circular economy. Investors include many of the world’s largest consumer goods companies and family offices interested in investments that provide strong financial returns and tangible social impact. In 2018, Closed Loop Partners launched the Center for the Circular Economy, a New York City-based collaboration center for innovators to commercialize products, services and technologies that are leading the transition from a linear take, make, waste economy to a restorative one in which materials are shared, re-used, and continuously cycled. Learn more at <a href="http://www.closedlooppartners.com">www.closedlooppartners.com</a>. About McDonald’s McDonald’s is the world’s leading global foodservice retailer with over 37,000 locations in over 100 countries. Over 90 percent of McDonald’s restaurants worldwide are owned and operated by independent local business men and women. This year McDonald’s announced a series of commitments demonstrating how it will use its Scale for Good to positively impact the planet and the communities it serves. You can read more about McDonald’s Scale for Good initiatives <a href="http://stage-corporate.mcdonalds.com/corpmcd/scale-for-good/using-our-scale-for-good.html">here</a>. About Starbucks Since 1971, Starbucks Coffee Company has been committed to ethically sourcing and roasting high-quality arabica coffee. Today, with stores around the globe, the company is the premier roaster and retailer of specialty coffee in the world. Through our unwavering commitment to excellence and our guiding principles, we bring the unique Starbucks Experience to life for every customer through every cup. To share in the experience, please visit us in our stores or online at <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/">https://stories.starbucks.com/</a> or <a href="http://www.starbucks.com">www.starbucks.com</a>.

“Solving the issue of plastic waste requires collaboration among many different stakeholders,” said Stefan Palzer, Nestlé Chief Technology Officer. “We are excited to join the NextGen Consortium and Cup Challenge as it brings together start-ups, industry partners and suppliers to find an industry wide, global packaging solution for sustainable to-go cups.”

“Yum! Brands would like to congratulate all of the Challenge winners for bringing forward incredible innovation that will help find food packaging solutions for our industry and beyond,” said Jon Hixson, VP Global Government Affairs and Sustainability, Yum! Brands. “The NextGen Consortium provides an amazing platform for collaboration and we look forward to seeing the continued progress that comes from the partnership to drive positive change in the value chain.”

“At Wendy’s, we know that our customers are increasingly aware of packaging waste and its impact on the environment,” said Liliana Esposito, Wendy’s Chief Communications Officer. “We embrace our role as being part of the solution, and one way we do that is to engage in partnerships that help us arrive at smart solutions, like our partnership with the NextGen Consortium. We congratulate the winners in this phase of the NextGen Cup Challenge, and look forward to seeing their ideas come to life and make a difference.”

"It's encouraging to see such a diverse range of innovative solutions that represent milestones in the journey toward more comprehensive recyclability and compostability of cups across the board” said Nina Goodrich, Executive Director, GreenBlue and the Sustainable Packaging Coalition. (Nina Goodrich is a judge for the NextGen Cup Challenge)

“It’s great to see the momentum behind the NextGen Cup Challenge coming from a number of large brands,” said Abe Minkara, Managing Director, Mark Cuban Companies. “Together with the innovative winning ideas, the combination is truly powerful. Scaling a sustainable solution to the to-go cup ecosystem becomes not only attainable but inevitable.” (Abe Minkara is a judge for the NextGen Cup Challenge)

“The winners of the NextGen Cup Challenge represent an inventive spectrum of creative chemistry, design and manufacturing technology demonstrating real progress toward the recyclability and compostability of post-consumer cups and containers.” said Scott Seydel, Board Chair and CEO, The Seydel Companies and Board Trustee of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation US. &nbsp;(Scott Seydel is a judge for the NextGen Cup Challenge)

Closed Loop Partners Announces 12 Winners of the NextGen Cup Challenge : Starbucks Stories Asia

Closed Loop Partners Announces 12 Winners of the NextGen Cup Challenge

Starbucks, McDonald’s and other industry leaders partner in pre-competitive collaboration to push the boundaries of sustainable design and find innovative cup solutions.

https://stories.starbucks.com/uploads/sites/29/2019/02/Greener-Cup-2-1.jpg

https://stories.starbucks.com/asia/stories/2019/closed-loop-partners-announces-12-winners-of-the-nextgen-cup-challenge-2/

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Starbucks Dewata Coffee Sanctuary becomes largest Starbucks destination in Southeast Asia

New experiential retail format invites customers to embark on the seed-to-cup journey

Indonesian craftsmanship and artwork pay tribute to one of coffee’s most extraordinary origin regions&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

To support the future of coffee, Starbucks Indonesia commits to donate 100,000 coffee seedlings to farmers annually

BALI, INDONESIA (January 12, 2018) - Today, Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) celebrates the journey of coffee from seed-to-cup by opening its largest destination in Southeast Asia – the Starbucks Dewata Coffee Sanctuary. The one-of-a-kind Coffee Sanctuary demonstrates Starbucks Indonesia’s coffee leadership in partnership with licensee PT Sari Coffee Indonesia Limited, building upon 16 years of innovation in design, customer experience and community impact. The store pays tribute to the important role that Indonesia, the fourth largest Arabica coffee growing region in the world, plays in bringing Starbucks customers the highest quality coffees, including the popular single-origin coffee from Sumatra. Sumatra coffee has been a staple offering at Starbucks since 1971.

“We began sourcing Indonesian coffees more than four decades ago and have always been struck by the sense of community and care for the coffee journey at every step,” said Kevin Johnson, ceo, Starbucks Coffee Company. “The Starbucks Dewata Coffee Sanctuary amplifies our passion for the coffee journey, our ongoing commitment to Indonesia’s rich coffee culture, and our tireless pursuit of fostering moments of connection between our partners and customers. This is Starbucks at its best, and we are proud to open the doors of this unique experience in one of Southeast Asia’s most dynamic markets.”

Designed as a coffee sanctuary, the expansive 20,000 square foot store beautifully highlights local craftsmanship and culture alongside premium coffee in this one-of-a-kind coffee experience, a sort of “origin-centered version” of the Roasteries, igniting all five senses. Visitors enter through an Arabica coffee farm, try their hand at coffee bean de-pulping and washing during harvest season, dry and rake green coffee beans, visit budding seedlings in the nursery, take in the store’s locally-inspired design featuring traditional Balinese craft and Indonesian art, and enjoy the more than 100 Dewata-exclusive handcrafted beverages, food and merchandise, including the Lavender Latte.

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“Bali has an envied reputation as one of Asia’s top travel destinations and Indonesia is one of coffee’s most extraordinary coffee origin regions, so we’re excited to invite customers here to ignite their senses and explore the seed-to-cup coffee journey at this unique Coffee Sanctuary,” said Anthony Cottan, managing director, Starbucks Indonesia, at PT Sari Coffee Indonesia Limited.&nbsp; “We’re very pleased to further strengthen the longstanding partnership between Starbucks and PT Sari Coffee Indonesia with this truly one-of-a-kind Starbucks store, inspired by and filled with the finest examples of Indonesian art, design and craftsmanship.”

A Sensory Coffee Journey

Located in Bali’s up-and-coming premium retail district on Sunset Road, the Coffee Sanctuary provides a carefully curated series of interactive experiences.

As customers enter, they’ll be greeted at the concierge reception and then guided through a working, 1,000 square foot coffee tree farm, the size of a typical Indonesian farm. Customers will continue their journey through contemporary Balinese landscaping, passing coffee plants and a de-pulping station before trying their hand at washing, drying and raking green coffee beans. Inside, the expansive Reserve bar offers customers an intimate experience to taste Starbucks Reserve small-lot coffees, while the core bar offers Starbucks signature core beverages.

Located on the second floor is the seedling nursery, a greenhouse canopied by panes of glass to create an open-air experience. Here, customers can touch the first stages of the seed-to-cup journey, as well as deepen their understanding of the art of tending to coffee plants alongside a local Balinese farmer. In the adjoining tasting room, customers’ tastebuds will come alive as they enjoy coffee as coffee quality professionals do, without a filter – simply coffee and water – to draw out the flavors that set each cup apart.

For those looking for more, visitors can engage with an interactive video wall and hear how coffee is planted, processed, roasted, shipped and brewed into a delicious cup of espresso. On the second floor, a dedicated media room features two synchronized video walls, showcasing the work of the Starbucks Farmer Support Center (FSC) in Sumatra and agronomist, Dr. Surip Mawardi’s, work with Indonesian coffee farmers.

Connecting to Coffee Through Local Design

The Sanctuary was designed as an homage to Indonesia’s rich culture and coffee heritage. The store’s expansive interior was inspired by traditional Balinese houses with free-flowing, connected rooms that promote discovery from one space to the next.

The store’s interior was designed in partnership with local craftspeople and artists with one goal: tell the story of coffee in Indonesia. This is brought to life by a wood carving depicting the country’s six coffee growing regions’ local culture and architecture. A two-story mural in the courtyard pays tribute to local farmers who carefully nurture and protect the beans each step of their journey to Starbucks.

On the main floor, Starbucks partners (employees) welcome customers to the 13-meter teak Reserve bar, drawing inspiration from Bali’s terraced rural landscapes, where customers can taste some of Starbucks rarest coffee offerings. Across the store, eyes are drawn to the living wall filled with flora from the region, situated behind the core bar designed to remind customers of Bali’s ocean waves which are replicated on the layered red-brick exterior façade.

Starbucks Commitment to Coffee Communities

Starbucks is dedicated to working with farmers in Indonesia to ethically and sustainably bring high-quality Indonesian coffee to the world, and today, the company is the largest buyer of Indonesian arabica coffee.

In 2015, Starbucks opened the Farmer Support Center in Berastagi, North Sumatra where Starbucks agronomists led by Dr. Mawardi, conduct research to develop disease-resistant coffee varietals in an effort to make coffee the world’s first sustainable agricultural product through the Sustainable Coffee Challenge. The Sumatra FSC is one of nine globally, including China, which offers open-source agronomy assistance and support for regional coffee farmers to improve the productivity and sustainability of their coffee trees.

In a combined effort, Starbucks Indonesia has donated more than 330,000 coffee seedlings, along with technical assistance, to smallholder farmers to-date. Through locally driven initiatives to support coffee tree replanting, Starbucks commits to donating 100,000 seedlings annually in partnership with the FSC.

Since 2006, The Starbucks Foundation has provided more than $4 million dollars to support farming communities and promote education, water, sanitation and health (WASH) programs across Indonesia. In 2018, The Foundation provided grants to Lutheran World Relief to support women-led community health and hygiene programs for 2,100 households in Sumatran coffee-producing villages over the next three years and to CARE to support economic empowerment for women tea workers and community WASH programs in West Java over the next two years.

Today, Starbucks Indonesia delivers the Starbucks Experience across 370 stores where nearly 4,500 partners proudly wear the green apron. The Dewata Coffee Sanctuary marks the&nbsp;first Starbucks Reserve Bar in Bali&nbsp;and&nbsp;its&nbsp;tenth&nbsp;in Indonesia as Starbucks continues to&nbsp;elevate the coffee journey for customers across the market.

Starbucks celebrates the journey of coffee from seed-to-cup by opening its largest destination in Southeast Asia – the Starbucks Dewata Coffee Sanctuary.

Starbucks Opens Coffee Sanctuary in Bali, Indonesia

Starbucks Opens One-of-a-Kind Coffee Sanctuary in Bali, Indonesia

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This holiday season, The Starbucks Foundation is matching individual donations to eight non-profit partners who promote sustainability, create opportunities and strengthen communities across the U.S. and the world.

The Starbucks mobile app will highlight a different non-profit partner each week, offering customers an opportunity to learn more about the partnerships and support the non-profit partners’ work. Individual donations made between&nbsp;November 12, 2018 through January 6, 2019&nbsp;will be matched by The Starbucks Foundation, up to $100,000 per organization, with a minimum of $50,000. Donations can also be made to any of the eight organizations at any time during the 8-week period through the giving links below.

The eight non-profit partners participating in “Match the Magic” are:

Big Brothers Big Sisters of America&nbsp;(BBBSA)and its 270 local agencies create meaningful, supported mentoring relationships between youth (“Littles”), ages 5 through young adulthood, and adult volunteers (“Bigs”), who ignite their potential. Big Brothers Big Sisters is a key partner in the 10,000 Connections campaign powered by Starbucks, LinkedIn, and MENTOR, which aims to close the mentoring gap by recruiting volunteer mentors. Together, these partners work to ensure more youth have a mentor to help them achieve their biggest possible futures.&nbsp;Learn more and give at:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.bbbs.org/starbucks">http://www.bbbs.org/starbucks</a>

Conservation International&nbsp;protects the nature that people need to thrive. Conservation International and Starbucks have been partners for more than two decades, from working with farmers on growing practices that would protect forests, water and soil, to creating prosperity for farmers and coffee communities. Through these joint efforts, Conservation International and Starbucks have improved the lives of more than 1 million coffee farmers and have cared for millions of coffee trees.&nbsp;Learn more and give at:&nbsp;<a href="http://conservation.org/starbucksweb">http://conservation.org/starbucksweb</a>

Feeding America’s&nbsp;mission is to feed America’s hungry through a nationwide network of 200-member food banks and engage the country in the fight to end hunger. Starbucks partners have been strong advocates for food donations and many employees volunteer with their local food banks around the country. Starbucks is working with Feeding America and its network to rescue unsold food available from U.S. company-owned stores, with more than 10 million meals donated to date through the Starbucks FoodShare program.&nbsp;Learn more and give at:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.FeedingAmerica.org/Starbucks">www.FeedingAmerica.org/Starbucks</a>

Malala Fund&nbsp;is working for a world where every girl can learn and lead. Over the past two years, The Starbucks Foundation has supported Malala Fund’s Gulmakai Network, which invests in local education leaders in countries that face the greatest barriers to girls’ education. The partnership has supported the expansion of the Gulmakai Network to India and Latin America, providing educational and leadership opportunities for young women in these communities. Learn more and give at:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.malala.org/donate/starbucks">www.malala.org/donate/starbucks</a>

Mercy Corps’&nbsp;mission is to alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression by helping people build secure, productive and just communities. Sharing in a belief that a better world is possible, Mercy Corps and The Starbucks Foundation have been working together to help people build safer communities, connect to economic opportunities, and respond to disasters through delivery of clean water and sanitation. Over the past 15 years, Mercy Corps and The Starbucks Foundation have impacted the lives of more than 400,000 people – from rural women in India to coffee farmers in Colombia.&nbsp;Learn more and give at:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.mercycorps.org/starbucksgives">www.mercycorps.org/starbucksgives</a>

UNICEF USA&nbsp;believes that it’s every child’s right to not only survive but thrive and find joy in their lives. UNICEF USA, The Starbucks Foundation and the Ethical Tea Partnership are jointly supporting a project to improve the lives of women and children in tea communities in Assam, India. The project will promote health, nutrition, education, water, sanitation, and hygiene, while also empowering adolescent boys and girls with knowledge, skills and support.&nbsp;Learn more and give at:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.unicefusa.org/starbucks">www.unicefusa.org/starbucks</a>

United Service Organizations&nbsp;(USO) strengthens America's military service members by keeping them connected to family, home and country, throughout their service to the nation. Starbucks and the USO are committed to serving those who serve, from supporting service members and their families transitioning from military to civilian life to fostering a spirit of connection and understanding between civilian and military communities. Starbucks has strong relationships with USO locations across the country and supports their great work with funding and donated coffee.&nbsp;Learn more and give at:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.uso.org/starbucks">www.uso.org/starbucks</a>

World Wildlife Fund&nbsp;(WWF) has been protecting the future of nature for nearly 60 years, involving local and global action and delivering innovative solutions that meet the needs of both people and nature – from freshwater, food, and forests to climate, oceans and wildlife. Starbucks is partnering with WWF to make a positive environmental impact in communities around the world, including on sustainable packaging and circular economy initiatives such as the NextGen Cup Challenge: an industry effort to develop a recyclable and compostable cup solution.&nbsp;Learn more and give at:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.worldwildlife.org/Starbucksgiving">www.worldwildlife.org/Starbucksgiving</a>

Established in 1997, The Starbucks Foundation strengthens communities around the world by advancing opportunities for youth, veterans, refugees and coffee, tea and cocoa farmers and their families, supporting communities affected by disaster, and promoting civic engagement. The Starbucks Foundation is a U.S. 501 (c)(3) charitable organization under U.S. law, and receives funding primarily from Starbucks Corporation and private donations. Learn more at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.starbucks.com/responsibility/community/starbucks-foundation">https://www.starbucks.com/responsibility/community/starbucks-foundation</a>.&nbsp;

The Starbucks Foundation celebrates holiday season by matching donations to eight nonprofit partners : Starbucks Stories Asia

The Starbucks Foundation celebrates holiday season by matching donations to eight nonprofit partners

https://stories.starbucks.com/asia/stories/2018/starbucks-foundation-celebrates-holiday-season-by-matching-donations/

True, lasting change only happens when we all work together.

That’s one of the key messages being delivered this week at the Global Climate Action Summit, which kicked off Wednesday and continues through Friday in San Francisco. More than 4,000 people, leaders from around the world from across the private and public sectors, are gathering at the summit to find ways to achieve the climate goals set by the Paris Agreement.

Kevin Johnson, Starbucks chief executive officer, was among those on a panel this morning titled “Leadership: What cities, states, businesses, investors and civil society have achieved together.”

Also on the panel were Winnie Byanyima, executive director of Oxfam International; Brian Deese, global head of sustainable investing for BlackRock; Mayor Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz of Warsaw; and Gov. Phil Murphy of New Jersey.&nbsp;

“We’ve got champions on the ground leading the fight to fulfill promises made in Paris,” said panel moderator Emily Chang, anchor and executive producer of Bloomberg Technology, as the event began.

Johnson and other panelists discussed the importance of collaborating and working together to create change.&nbsp;

"If you look at this problem on a global basis, it can be so overwhelming it's discouraging," Johnson said. "The only way to look at this problem is 'Am I partnering with other like-minded organizations in the public and private sectors and NGOs to work progress?'"

He said leading a large company is not just about profit, but also about doing what’s right – and continuing to look for new ways to build on that.

"One of our social impact pillars is sustainability," Johnson said. "We are a company in that believes, in the fabric of mission and values, that the pursuit of profit is not in conflict with the pursuit of doing good.”

For the past decade, Starbucks has been committed to creating green buildings through a partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council. The two organizations worked together on the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for Retail program, a rating system that evaluates a building’s environmental performance and encourages sustainable design. Starbucks now operates more than <a href="https://www.starbucks.com/responsibility/environment/leed-certified-stores">1,500 LEED®-certified stores</a>&nbsp;globally across 20 countries – including all 50 states and Puerto Rico – more than any other retailer in the world.

Johnson announced at the summit today that&nbsp;Starbucks will go beyond the LEED sustainable building criteria and also focus on operating its stores in greener ways. The new Greener Stores will be held to performance-based standards that focus on powering U.S. and Canada stores with 100 percent renewable energy, using technology that is estimated to save 25 to 30 percent on energy and water use and more. By 2025, the company will have 10,000 Greener Stores&nbsp;globally, encompassing existing stores and new stores and renovations.

The path to achieving that, called the “Starbucks Greener Stores framework" will be developed over the next year by leading experts including SCS Global Services and World Wildlife Fund.

It will focus not just on energy and water use in the stores but also on using responsible materials that reduce environmental impact and create a healthier environment for store partners and customers, including air and water quality. The Greener Stores framework will also encourage partners to be more aware and engaged in sustainability issues, Johnson said. Once developed, the framework will be open-sourced so that others in the retail industry can use what has been learned. &nbsp;

“As a company, we understand the importance of making sustainability a priority, from ethically and sustainably sourcing coffee to conserving natural resources in the communities we serve,” said Johnson, in a <a href="https://news.starbucks.com/press-releases/starbucks-announces-global-greener-stores-commitment">company release.</a>&nbsp;

Today’s announcement builds on a tradition of Starbucks striving to find ways to be a more responsible, sustainable company, ranging from offering a discount to customers who use reusable cups to fundamental, widespread changes.

In July, Starbucks announced plans to innovate around<a href="https://news.starbucks.com/press-releases/starbucks-to-eliminate-plastic-straws-globally-by-2020"> reducing single-use plastic straws</a> from its 28,000 stores around the world by 2020. The first step toward that began with the introduction of strawless lids for cold beverages. This year the company also committed to creating a compostable, recyclable paper cup. Working with ClosedLoop Partners, Starbucks has made <a href="https://news.starbucks.com/news/starbucks-and-closed-loop-to-develop-recyclable-compostable-cup-solution">a $10 million commitment&nbsp;to challenge leading innovators and entrepreneurs</a> to develop a global solution that can be shared with the entire industry.

At Starbucks, many meetings or company gatherings begin with a coffee tasting. Together, Starbucks partners pause to smell, sip and savor sample cups of coffee and learn about where that particular cup of coffee originated. They think about the farmers who grew the coffee and the conditions they are facing. Some farms are coping with the effects of climate change in the form of a disease called rust that can affect coffee trees. Starbucks agronomists are working to develop rust-resistant types of coffee trees that can be given to farmers to help preserve their livelihoods.

During the panel, he also discussed the company’s commitment to making coffee the first 100 percent sustainable agricultural product, being ethically grown and sourced – not just for Starbucks but for everyone.

He also wants other corporations to know that doing what’s right isn’t just socially responsible but can also be good for business. The commitment to Greener Stores, for example, is estimated to save the company an incremental $50 million in utilities over the next 10 years.

Some of Starbucks sustainability programs were suggested by partners themselves, such as FoodShare, which helps eliminate food waste in the stores. Each night, eligible food many U.S. stores that wasn’t sold is rescued and donated to those who need it.

"It's all driven with the aspiration to be the number one company in the world to have a completely sustainable platform, from working with farmers to our supply chain to the end product in our stores," he said.&nbsp;

Photos by Nikki Ritcher Photography - Global Climate Action Summit&nbsp;

More than 4,000 leaders from around the world are meeting in San Francisco for the Global Climate Action Summit, which is focused on finding ways to achieve the climate goals set by the Paris Agreement.

Starbucks to operate 10,000 Greener Stores globally by 2025

Starbucks to operate 10,000 ‘Greener Stores’ globally by 2025, ceo announces

https://stories.starbucks.com/asia/stories/2018/starbucks-kevin-johnson-joins-leaders-at-climate-action-summit/

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Last summer, on the day that Ashley Ford was invited by Starbucks to visit its new solar farm in North Carolina that spans the equivalent of 285 football fields, “the sky was really blue, the grass was really green.” The fields of shimmering solar panels were also mesmerizing, their purpose equally so.

The <a href="https://news.starbucks.com/news/starbucks-renewable-energy-strategy">farm</a>, acre upon acre of 140,000 glittering solar panels, delivers enough clean energy to power the equivalent of the energy consumed by 600 Starbucks stores in North Carolina, Virginia, Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, West Virginia and Washington, D.C.

“It warms my heart,” said Ford, a shift supervisor at a store in Raleigh, N.C., where a poster just inside the front door proclaims: “This store is powered by sunshine.” The poster features an artsy rendition of solar panels and encourages customers to learn more at starbucks.com/responsibility/environment.

“Our passion for coffee is matched by our passion for the planet,” states the poster, tacked to a cork and steel wall. The poster is a conversation starter, giving Ford an excuse to chat with customers about Starbucks’ commitment to sourcing renewable energy.

The commitment is long-standing and growing, as evidenced by two recent investments in addition to the solar farm. Closer to headquarters, Starbucks plans to harness wind energy from turbines that will be built near Olympia, Wash., to power 116 Seattle-area stores and the Kent Roasting Plant. That project is scheduled to begin in 2019, the same year that a new wind farm in Illinois will start powering 360 stores in that state, including the future Chicago Roastery.

A $140 million investment in renewable energy

Over the past two years, Starbucks has invested more than $140 million in <a href="https://storiesadmin.starbucks.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Starbucks_Social_Impact_Report_2017.pdf">renewable energy</a>. Starbucks purchases enough renewable energy to power 100 percent of its more than 9,000 company-operated stores in the U.S. and Canada with clean energy, an achievement it first notched in 2015. Globally, 62% of Starbucks operations are powered by renewables.

The company is the <a href="https://www.epa.gov/greenpower/green-power-partnership-top-30-retail">top purchaser of renewable electricity</a> in the retail sector on the Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Partnership Retail Top 30. It ranks 10th among all companies on the list.

Starbucks’ commitment to renewable energy has increased since 2005, a year after the company undertook its first-ever inventory of its own greenhouse gas emissions. That analysis revealed that 70 percent of emissions came from the purchase of electricity to power stores. “Starbucks takes its role as a responsible corporation seriously,” said Rebecca Zimmer, the company’s director of global environmental impact. “We understand one of the largest areas of responsibility involves the emissions from electricity generation, which contribute to climate change that puts our business and the communities in which we operate at risk.”

Following the inventory, Starbucks decided to develop a strategy to reduce its emissions. Renewable energy is at the heart of that strategy because it doesn’t generate greenhouse gases, which come from the burning of fossil fuels.

Starbucks began by purchasing 5 percent renewable energy in 2005; within a decade, it was purchasing a kilowatt of renewable “green” energy for every kilowatt of “brown” electricity used — traditional fossil fuel-based energy such as coal and natural gas.

Starbucks has been rapidly expanding its roster of renewable energy projects in the United States, supporting the growth of green energy onto the grid through long-term electricity contracts, direct ownership and by contracting for renewable energy certificates from new projects.

The solar farm in Robeson County, N.C., was Starbucks’ first direct investment in a facility that produces renewable energy for its stores. Building off that initial investment, the first of eight solar farms that Starbucks is bankrolling in Texas is due to start churning out power this fall. By the end of 2018 — once all eight are online — more than 350 Starbucks stores in the Lone Star state will be solar-powered.

How businesses purchase renewable energy has evolved considerably over the years. Originally, environmentally minded companies would buy energy offsets, or certificates, a one-to-one supply of renewable energy on par with the amount of traditionally sourced energy that they consume. The renewable energy would be loaded onto the power grid, where it would be available but wouldn’t be earmarked for a particular use. More recently, there has been a shift toward funneling renewable energy to power a specific site, a strategy known as “direct generation” that Starbucks is increasingly incorporating in its U.S. and Canada stores.

Starbucks locally sources 15 percent of its renewable energy purchases in the U.S. and Canada, partnering with developers to bring new projects online and then buying green power close to its stores. The remaining 85 percent takes the form of renewable energy certificates.

Locally sourced green power helps partners — for whom Starbucks’ environmental efforts are a point of pride — connect with the company’s renewable energy strategy. &nbsp;Starbucks’ goal in the United States and Canada is to bring new renewable energy onto the grid close to the stores that use the energy. Locating the projects closer to stores lets partners see first-hand how Starbucks is incorporating renewable energy into its long-term sustainability goals. “Renewable energy can be kind of an abstract concept,” said Patrick Leonard, who helps oversee energy and resource management for Starbucks. “We are trying to humanize the way we source power and use it in our stores. When we locally source renewable energy, partners can point to something and say, ‘This is powering our stores.’”

Additionally, directly sourcing green power means that the benefits of the projects, such as job creation and financial investments, stay in the local communities where Starbucks’ customers and partners live.

Buying renewable energy is ‘the right thing to do’

When Starbucks began purchasing renewable energy, it was more expensive than its traditional counterpart, which dissuaded many companies from incorporating its use. Starbucks forged ahead, however, willing to pay more of a premium to reduce greenhouse gas emissions because “it was the right thing to do,” said Daniel Althouse, a Starbucks senior treasury analyst who helps the company craft financial models for investment in renewable energy.

In the past 10 years, prices have dropped due to rapidly falling equipment costs and federal tax credits that encourage companies to “dip a toe” into renewable energy, said Althouse, who said that wind and solar power are now less expensive than traditional energy sources. “Instead of dipping in a toe, what Starbucks has done is wade in as deep as we can.”

Part of the company’s embrace of green power involves its multi-disciplinary approach to financing renewable energy and what Leonard calls a “dream team of partners” from departments including tax, treasury, accounting, legal, global social impact and facilities and environmental performance. &nbsp;

Sustainability

2018 Starbucks Global Social Impact Report

Starbucks Joins World Wildlife Fund’s ReSource: Plastic as Principal Member

Starbucks Completes Issuance of Third and Largest Sustainability Bond

Greener cups, fewer straws and tracing your coffee’s journey via app

Closed Loop Partners Announces 12 Winners of the NextGen Cup Challenge

Starbucks Opens One-of-a-Kind Coffee Sanctuary in Bali, Indonesia

The Starbucks Foundation celebrates holiday season by matching donations to eight nonprofit partners

Starbucks to operate 10,000 ‘Greener Stores’ globally by 2025, ceo announces

‘This store is powered by sunshine’: Solar and wind power fuel Starbucks stores

Starbucks Stores in Japan Celebrate 99% Ethically Sourced Coffee Commitment

Common language of coffee draws agronomists from around the world

Straws are out, lids are in: Starbucks announces environmental milestone