• How did the organizations you explored address sustainability
concerns inherent to their industry, if at all?
o For example, a company that manufactures plastic has
inherent environmental risks regarding plastic waste and
pollution.
I chose to explore Starbucks and their commitment to sustainability. b
One concern addressed under the "Planet" portion of their Starbucks
Stories page was their journey to sustainable dairy. One concern
that they are addressing is supporting long term health of the dairy
industry by ethically sourcing. CAFE (Coffee and Farmer Equity
Practices), created in 2004, establishes guidelines of social,
environmental and economic criteria that needs to be met by farmers
that do business with Starbucks. "Dairy is the biggest contributor to
Starbucks carbon footprint and the second highest contributor to
water withdrawal" (stories.starbucks.com, 2021). Together,
Starbucks and farmers work closely to reduce carbon emissions and
water withdrawal.
• What other sustainable practices did the organizations you
explored identify as priorities, and what kinds of business risks
may they be taking on to prioritize those sustainable practices?
Other practices that are being explored through Starbucks for
sustainability are The Starbucks Greener Stores being opened in
North America in 2022. These stores are "labs" that will be used to
test sustainable solutions, including recycling and composting and
reducing energy consumption. These practices are to aid in the
reduction of carbon emissions, water usage and landfill waste. The
potential risk for this is high spending on the design and
implementation of new and innovative state of the art practices,
which can be costly, as well as training employees for this transition.
• Do you think that the business risks the organizations are
taking to prioritize their identified sustainable operations are
worthwhile from a business perspective? Why or why not?
I believe the risks are worthwhile from a business point of view
because when people see that a company is committed to
environmental stewardship and has a passion for a more sustainable
future, it makes them feel better about doing business with them and
using/consuming their products. It also positively promotes their
brand, making them a desirable place for people to want to come and
work, as well as partner up with for business and invest in.
Starbucks journey to Sustainable Dairy
. Starbucks Journey to
Sustainable Dairy. (n.d.). Retrieved January 19, 2022, from
https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2021/starbucks-journey-to-
sustainable-dairy/
