Starbucks To Offer More Vegan Food And Ditch Plastic In Sustainability Drive

Starbucks has pledged to offer more vegan food and move away from single-use plastic in a bid to become more sustainable.

A statement released today, attributed to the global coffee giant’s CEO Kevin Johnson, said the brand’s aim is to become ‘resource positive’ – storing more carbon than it emits, eliminate waste, and provide more clean freshwater than it uses.

The chain has set three preliminary targets for 2030, which include halving carbon emissions in direct operations and supply chain, halving waste sent to landfill from stores and manufacturing, and conserving or replenishing 50 percent of water taken for direct operations and coffee production.

Environmental strategies

To achieve these goals, the chain outlined five environmental strategies.

The first two are expanding plant-based options and ‘migrating toward a more environmentally friendly menu’, and shifting from single-use to reusable packaging.

In addition, Starbucks has vowed to ‘invest in innovative and regenerative agricultural practices, reforestation, forest conservation and water replenishment in our supply chain’.

The chain will also plow cash into better ways to manage waste, and increase reuse, and recycling, as well as slashing food waste. Finally, it wants to develop more eco-friendly stores, operations, manufacturing, and delivery.

Resource positive

“Our aspiration is to become resource positive – storing more carbon than we emit, eliminating waste, and providing more clean freshwater than we use,” said Johnson.

“This aspiration is grounded in Starbucks mission. By embracing a longer-term economic, equitable and planetary value proposition for our company, we will create greater value for all stakeholders.”