Many brands turn a blind eye to applying sustainable practices in their programmes because they presume it will cost more and wouldn’t be feasible for the business. Well, Starbucks is proving them all wrong. Recently, the popular coffee giant announced plans to design, build and operate 10,000 eco-friendly stores by 2025. The plan is expected to save the company $50 million in utilities in the coming 10 years.
The company announced its plans to develop environmentally sustainable stores at The Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco. Greener stores will not just be planting gardens around the stores. These stores will be powered by electricity produced by solar and wind energy. All the Starbucks stores in the US and Canada will be eco-friendly by 2025.
Starbucks is working with the World Wildlife Fund and SCS Global Services and others to develop an open framework for the planning of green stores. Starbucks owns 20,000 stores worldwide and 15,000 stores in the US and Canada alone and these will be audited by an accredited auditing program.
Simply put, sustainable coffee, served sustainably is our aspiration,” Starbucks CEO and president Kevin Johnson said in a statement. “We know that designing and building green stores is not only responsible, it is cost effective as well.”
Starbucks claims that it has already saved $30 million in annual operating costs by green store practices and expects to save $50 million in the next decade.
Not too long ago, Starbucks pledged to wipe out single-use plastics from all its stores by 2020 to reduce the worsening plastic pollution and reduce its environmental impact.
But the coffee makers just don’t stop there. The company is also planning to develop technology and practices that use substantially fewer utilities like 25 percent less power and 30 percent less water, less waste production and make use of materials that are sustainably produced.
“This framework represents the next step in how Starbucks is approaching environmental stewardship, looking holistically at stores and their role in helping to ensure the future health of our natural resources,” Erin Simon, the director of research and development at World Wildlife Fund in the U.S., said in a statement. “When companies step up and demonstrate leadership, other businesses often follow with commitments of their own, driving further positive impacts.”
Starbucks set a good example for any firm who believes that turning sustainable is barely cost effective. Looking at the long-term benefits, every sector will only gain from these practices. So, it’s time that corporates start brewing some sustainable plans.