Starbucks, A Responsible Company

Starbucks, A Responsible Company – Ryan Lane

“So ever since we opened our first store in 1971, we dedicated ourselves to striking a balance between profitability and social conscience. We continue to believe that the ultimate way to scale the power of brand is to share the good we do so that Starbucks and everyone we touch – can endure and thrive” 

This quote is straight from the Starbucks website, and it really shows a side to Starbucks that not many people are familiar with. Starbucks knows that they go through a lot of paper cups daily and can produce a lot of waste from finished coffees, but they really do go above and beyond what is expected of them to make up for that. They are committed to minimizing their environmental footprint by recycling and reducing waste, trying to use less energy daily and by building their stores with a more ‘green’ approach.

Starbucks produces a lot of waste, especially behind the counter and in the back room. I work at Starbucks so I know firsthand the amount of cardboard comes in because of the constant supply of products we use to make drinks, or fix equipment. There are 2 separate dumpsters in the back of the parking lot, one for garbage and one for all of the cardboard. Each employee is responsible for following proper procedures on taking them out. There are also 2 separate garbage containers in the store that have 3 separate garbage slots, one for paper, one for plastic and one for glass bottles (we serve pre bottled juices and frappachinos). Starbucks has also overtime made their cups greener:

·         In 1997 Starbucks developed a recyclable paper sleeve to use instead of customers asking for a double cup

·         In 2006 Starbucks launched the industry’s first paper cup with 10% post-consumer recycled fiber

·         In 2009 Starbucks created a plastic reusable cup that has less of an environmental impact

Starbucks has recently switched to GE light bulbs which save energy and still produce enough light. These changes are just the start of a bigger picture of evolving into a very environmental friendly company. If more company’s can start to become more green like Starbucks has begun to do, the world would be a cleaner place that produces a lot less waste.  Starbucks has made great strides towards this and they vow to continue this effort.

Source: http://www.starbucks.com/responsibility