Let me first start out with my true New Englander response, I don’t
understand the fascination with Starbucks, I am a Dunkin’ girl all the
way. However, I am very impressed at the thoroughly Starbucks has
taken their efforts towards sustainable practices. It’s not just with
their efforts in their stores, but to look at the bigger picture and go
after their top 2 ingredients beans and milk. To work with their
farmers and suppliers to not only hold them accountable to the
Starbucks standard, but to invest and teach as well.
Starbucks has truly embraced their efforts towards sustainable
practices. They truly have the big picture in mind, it’s just as much
about the suppliers they do business with and not just their
employees. Realizing what they take from the planet and their effort
to give back more. How do they do this, by working towards cutting
back their greenhouse emissions, their water usage, and their waste
by 50% each by the year 2030. By setting their goals, determining
what areas can improve, and how to adjust their business so their
plans become reality. To date, they are already making progress with
an 11% decrease in carbon emissions, a 4% decrease in water usage,
and 12% decrease in waste at the end of 2020. While they do admit
some of this was due to a decrease in business due to the pandemic,
still progress is progress.
Starbucks has made mention of reusable cups as a way to cut down
on their waste by 2030. Which is a remarkable goal, however, the
pandemic no doubt had an affect on that. Most local stores since the
beginning of the pandemic would not refill the reusable cups. And
this is where I think a partnership between Starbucks and Dixie could
be beneficial. While Dixie admits that most of their cups are not
recyclable due to the coating inside the cup to prevent leaks. They
also mention that some areas may have the capability still to recycle
them. I think for the future a partnership between Starbucks and
Dixie could prove to be highly beneficial to each other. Why not
invest in each other to find a way to make a leakproof paper cup, or
invest in recycling facilities so that they can be recycled? It seems to
be a direction that can be explored that would help each company
towards their efforts of sustainability.
Sources:
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/
Starbucks Announces Coffee Specific Environmental Goals.
Starbucks. 21 March
2021. https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2021/starbucks-
announces-coffee-specific-environmental-goals/
