The B.C. store was constructed by Vancouver-based Nexii in just six days with near-zero construction waste

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Starbucks Canada today announced it will open a first-of-its-kind Starbucks drive-thru store in Canada, assembled in just six days, with near-zero construction waste and designed to reduce energy needs for heating and cooling compared to standard construction builds.

According to the <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.cagbc.org/News/EN/2020/20200901_News_Release.aspx" target="_blank">Canada Green Building Council</a>, buildings are responsible for almost 40% of global carbon emissions and 50% of global material use.&nbsp; Designed, manufactured and constructed by Vancouver-based green building company, Nexii Building Solutions, the Starbucks drive-thru store – set to open in early 2021 in Abbotsford, B.C. – represents a significant step forward in the company’s aspirations to operate more efficient stores, a key component of the company’s global sustainability strategy which aspires to store more carbon than the company emits; reduce waste sent to landfills; and provide more freshwater than the company uses.&nbsp; Starbucks has set ambitious sustainability targets to cut its carbon, water, and waste footprints in half by 2030.

“Buildings and construction can have a substantial impact on Canada’s environmental goals,” says Catherine Anderson, vice president of Store Development at Starbucks Canada. “Working with like-minded innovators like Nexii, we are excited to lead the industry in modelling the benefits of green construction and share what we learn with others to help action meaningful, global change.”

Starbucks has been a global leader in designing its stores to achieve LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification standards since 2005, ensuring energy and water efficiencies. As a new-build construction project, the Starbucks Abbotsford drive-thru store was assembled in just six days - the result of Nexii’s unique precision-manufacturing process, whereby panels for the store’s roof and walls were designed and manufactured offsite. Through optimized manufacturing and simplified assembly, this building process reduces construction waste relative to typical industry practices.&nbsp;

“All aspects of the Nexii system – from the products we create to the way we assemble our buildings – are designed with sustainability at the core, so that we can create affordable, green buildings,” says Stephen Sidwell, CEO of Nexii, who adds thatas Nexii panels create a thermally efficient, airtight envelope, the Starbucks building will require less energy to heat and cool compared to standard construction builds, greatly improving energy efficiency over its building lifecycle, lowering operating costs.

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Despite challenges resulting from COVID-19, Starbucks remains steadfast on making progress against its 2030 sustainability goals. Since January, the company has expanded plant-based menu options and found better ways to manage waste, is making progress against eliminating plastic straws and introduced a recyclable strawless lid in all stores in Canada. These investments join a growing list of sustainability goals at Starbucks in Canada including:

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Please <a href="https://stories.starbucks.ca/en/stories/2020/starbucks-sustainability-timeline/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">click here</a> for a timeline of Starbucks sustainability initiatives.

Starbucks Canada today announced it will open a first-of-its-kind, sustainably constructed Starbucks drive-thru store in Canada, assembled in just six days, with near-zero construction waste and designed to reduce energy needs for heating and cooling compared to standard construction builds.

First-of-its-Kind Sustainably Constructed Starbucks Store to Open in Canada

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Starbucks Canada

First-of-its-Kind Starbucks Store to Open in Canada

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As part of the company’s efforts to phase out plastic straws worldwide,a recyclable, strawless lid is the new standard for iced beverages in Starbucks stores

Over the past year, Starbucks has <a href="https://stories.starbucks.ca/en/stories/2019/greener-cups-and-fewer-straws-at-starbucks-canada/" data-type="URL" data-id="https://stories.starbucks.ca/en/stories/2019/greener-cups-and-fewer-straws-at-starbucks-canada/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">trialed</a> new lightweight, recyclable strawless lids in select markets across the U.S. and Canada. Due to the success of this test, the company is rolling out strawless lids to company-operated and licensed stores, marking a significant milestone in Starbucks effort to eliminate one billion plastic straws globally per year. Starbucks will continue to shift away from single-use packaging and plastics as part of its <a href="https://stories.starbucks.ca/en/stories/2020/5-things-to-know-starbucks-sustainability-commitment/" data-type="URL" data-id="https://stories.starbucks.ca/en/stories/2020/5-things-to-know-starbucks-sustainability-commitment/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">resource positive commitment</a> announced in January.

“Recyclable, strawless lids for customers across the U.S. and Canada is another step in our journey to reduce our environmental footprint,” said Michael Kobori, chief sustainability officer at Starbucks. “As we move closer toward our 2030 target of a 50 percent reduction in waste sent to landfills, the long-standing history of innovation within Starbucks, partnership across the industry and changing consumer behavior remain fundamental to our purpose and our prosperity as an organization.” 

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Customers in Seattle and Vancouver were the first to see the strawless lids implemented in 2018.&nbsp; Last year, Toronto became the second city in the Canada to offer customers strawless lids.

Starbucks designed, developed, and manufactured its strawless lid, which will now be the standard for all iced coffee, tea, espresso, and Starbucks Refreshers beverages. The lid was modeled after the lid customers recognize from Starbucks hot drinks and has approximately nine percent less plastic than the flat lid and straw historically used for iced beverages. Unlike straws that cannot be recycled because of their size, the strawless lid made from polypropylene, meets the Association of Plastic Recyclers design guidelines for recyclability and can be recycled in many markets in the U.S. and Canada.

“We developed and trialed several prototypes to arrive at this milestone,” said Andy Corlett, director of global packaging solutions and innovations, whose team at Starbucks helped design the lid. “A recyclable, strawless lid becoming the standard for iced drinks is one small way we can give more than we take from the planet. This is a significant moment for Starbucks as we work to reduce waste and safeguard the environment.”

Corlett’s team developed variations in lid design to match the variety of beverages Starbucks offers. For example, the distinct lid for Nitro beverages, which began rolling out in 2018, has a slightly wider, tear-drop shaped opening, designed for the perfect drinking experience of Starbucks velvety-smooth Nitro Cold Brew and beverages with Cold Foam. Similarly, Frappuccino® blended beverages and other drinks with whipped cream will continue to have a domed lid made from recyclable plastic and be accompanied by a straw, except where prohibited by local law. Straws will also remain available in stores for customers upon request.

“Last year alone, volunteers with Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup removed nearly one million straws from beaches and waterways around the world, and that’s one million too many polluting our environment,” said Doug Cress, Vice President of Conservation at Ocean Conservancy. “Starbucks strawless lid is a prime example of how innovation will help us move closer to a healthy ocean free of trash, and we are committed to working with Starbucks through our International Coastal Cleanup and our Trash Free Seas Alliance to drive positive change. Our hope is that other companies follow suit, and that these innovations are met with greater investment from both the public and private sectors in recycling infrastructure and markets to keep the momentum alive.”

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Starbucks continues to make progress against its <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2018/starbucks-to-eliminate-plastic-straws-globally-by-2020/" target="_blank">commitment</a> to phase out plastic straws worldwide. Starbucks Korea was the company’s first market to eliminate straws through strawless lids and paper straw alternatives in 2018. In 2019, Starbucks introduced strawless lids in select markets across the U.S., Canada, and China, in addition to introducing FSC (Forest Stewardship Council®) certified paper straws across the UK and Europe. Strawless lids and straws made from alternative materials will continue to be tested and rolled out to more markets in the coming year.

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As part of the company’s efforts to phase out plastic straws worldwide, a recyclable, strawless lid is the new standard for iced beverages in Starbucks throughout North America.

Starbucks Strawless Lids Now Available Across the U.S. and Canada

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On its journey to develop a more recyclable and compostable hot cup solution by 2022, Starbucks announced today details for in-market testing of a more sustainable cup technology from the <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2019/closed-loop-partners-announces-12-winners-of-the-nextgen-cup-challenge/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="NextGen Cup Challenge (opens in a new tab)">NextGen Cup Challenge</a>. Starting on Monday, March 9th, Vancouver will be included in the cities trailing the new BioPBS™-lined cup, with additional market tests running in Seattle, San Francisco, New York and London.

The tests are designed to provide key insights and learnings into the partner (employee) and customer in-store experience with the goal of no noticeable differences in performance between the new cup and current cup. In addition, in conjunction with Closed Loop Partners, Starbucks is conducting separate tests designed to validate that this particular cup technology can be recycled more readily than the current cup. 

In January, Starbucks <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://stories.starbucks.ca/en/stories/2020/kevin-johnson-letter-sustainability/" target="_blank">announced a multi-decade aspiration</a> to be resource positive, giving more than it takes from the planet. As part of its sustainability commitment, the company is focusing on ways to better manage its waste, both in Starbucks stores and in the communities it serves by ensuring more reuse and recycling. While this cup trial is an exciting step forward, Starbucks will continue to evaluate additional NextGen Cup Challenge winning concepts and cup technologies, as well as learn from other reusable and recyclable innovations to find the most sustainable solutions for its business, partners and customers.

<a href="https://stories.starbucks.ca/en/stories/2020/nextgen-cup-fact-sheet/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Read our fact sheet for more information. (opens in a new tab)">Read our fact sheet for more information.</a>

Starbucks announced today details for in-market testing of a more sustainable cup technology from the NextGen Cup Challenge.

Starbucks Compostable Cup Pilot to Begin in Vancouver This Week

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This month, Starbucks begins its first market tests of a recyclable and compostable hot cup solution as part of the <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2018/starbucks-and-closed-loop-to-develop-recyclable-compostable-cup-solution/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">NextGen Cup Challenge</a>, which seeks to address single-use packaging waste by developing an industry-wide recyclable and compostable to-go cup solution. This is a step forward in the company’s journey to better manage its waste by ensuring more reuse and recycling.

In 2018, Starbucks and co-founder McDonald’s, committed $10M in partnership with Closed Loop Partners to establish the NextGen Consortium and Cup Challenge. Additionally, Starbucks invested $5M in Closed Loop Partners’ Infrastructure Fund that finances recycling and circular economy infrastructure across North America. 

The NextGen Cup Challenge began with a six-month design competition that received hundreds of ideas from industry experts and cup scientists alike. From there, the Consortium then identified <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2019/closed-loop-partners-announces-12-winners-of-the-nextgen-cup-challenge/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="12 winning teams (opens in a new tab)">12 winning teams</a> to further work with on their potential to serve as solutions for various business models.

In March of 2019, Starbucks announced a commitment to <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2019/greener-cups-fewer-straws-and-tracing-your-coffees-journey-via-app/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">conduct market tests</a> with the cup technologies in select stores in five cities, including Seattle, San Francisco, New York, Vancouver and London. Starbucks then conducted months of internal research and development at their Tryer Center, putting the various cups through an array of tests for quality and performance measurements. In addition, the company evaluated manufacturing logistics, scalability, and pricing of each cup.

Nearly a year later, Starbucks has identified one of the cup solutions that is ready to introduce into the hands of partners and customers to test the overall experience in stores. The cup, being tested in select stores for a limited time, features an innovative cup liner, called BioPBS™, which makes the cup certified compostable and recyclable. Customers will not see any noticeable difference from the current cup as Starbucks aims to create a seamless customer experience with the new cup. 

The testing doesn’t end there. Starbucks is currently working with Closed Loop Partners, the Consortium and other businesses on continuing to test and validate the recyclability of the various challenge winners, including the BioPBS™ cup. We are also continuing the work with key stakeholders in the recycling industry to advocate for increasing the overall recyclability of cups and ensure they are ultimately accepted within municipalities. 

The journey to find a more sustainable cup solution is part of Starbucks aspiration to be <a href="https://stories.starbucks.ca/en/stories/2020/kevin-johnson-letter-sustainability/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="resource positive (opens in a new tab)">resource positive</a>, giving more than it takes from the planet. In addition to market testing, the company continues to evaluate a variety of <a href="https://www.closedlooppartners.com/the-journey-to-innovate-how-we-drink-on-the-go-2-years-into-the-nextgen-consortium/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">NextGen Cup Challenge winning concepts and cup technologies</a>, as well as plans to learn from other reusable and recyclable innovations to find the best sustainable solutions for its business, partners (employees) and customers.

This month, Starbucks begins its first market tests of a recyclable and compostable hot cup solution as part of the NextGen Cup Challenge.

Fact Sheet: Starbucks Tests a NextGen Cup Solution in Vancouver

https://stories.starbucks.ca/en-ca/stories/2020/nextgen-cup-fact-sheet/

On Tuesday, Starbucks announced “a bold, multi-decade aspiration” to cut carbon, water and waste each by 50 percent by 2030 and give back to the planet by becoming resource positive in the future.

Starbucks chief executive officer Kevin Johnson announced Tuesday a <a href="https://stories.starbucks.ca/en/stories/2020/kevin-johnson-letter-sustainability/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">renewed focus on sustainability</a>, all with an eye toward someday “giving more than we take from the planet.”

“Our aspiration is to become resource positive — storing more carbon than we emit, eliminating waste, and providing more clean freshwater than we use,” Johnson wrote in a letter posted Tuesday.

His letter included preliminary targets for 2030 as well as the company’s commitment to be transparent in its reporting against short- and long-term goals. He also vowed to work with Starbucks partners, customers and other stakeholders on this journey. The company will spend the next year continuing to test and learn before formalizing these sustainability targets as part of the company’s 50th anniversary in 2021, he wrote.

“Our&nbsp;eyes&nbsp;are&nbsp;wide open&nbsp;knowing that&nbsp;we do not have all the answers or&nbsp;fully understand&nbsp;all&nbsp;the complexities and potential consequences,” Johnson wrote. “Now, it’s time to create an even broader aspiration –&nbsp;and it’s work that will require visionary thinking, new ways of working, investment of&nbsp;resource&nbsp;and urgent action.”

Starbucks has over 31,000 stores worldwide with 400,000 partners serving 100 million customers a week and the road ahead will require commitment and creativity from partners and customers across the globe as well as from entrepreneurs, non-profits and suppliers, he said.

Here are five important things to know about Tuesday’s announcement:

1. Starbucks wants to halve its carbon emissions, waste output and water impact in the next decade while growing the business at the same time.

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Johnson’s letter outlined three preliminary targets: By 2030, Starbucks will aim to reduce carbon emissions by 50 percent, reduce waste sent to landfills from stores and manufacturing by 50 percent driven by a broader shift toward a circular economy, and will also conserve or replenish 50 percent of the water currently being used for direct operations and coffee production.

2. There’s a new way to track progress.

Starbucks has long used science-based research to assess our progress. Now, the company has also released a comprehensive environmental footprint of carbon emissions, water use and waste in Starbucks global operations and supply chain. Created in partnership from Quantis and World Wildlife Fund, it will serve as a baseline for measuring future progress. “As we move forward, we will be transparent in reporting short- and long-term progress against our goals,” Johnson wrote.

3. From more plant-based food and beverages to reusables, Starbucks is looking far and wide for opportunities to transform.&nbsp;

Starbucks identified key areas in which it can make big impacts by 2030, including expanding plant-based and environmentally friendly menu options; shifting from single-use to reusable packaging; investing in innovative agricultural, water conservation and reforestation practices; looking for ways to better manage waste (including food waste) in stores and in communities; and developing more eco-friendly operations, from stores to supply chain to manufacturing. 

4. Yesterday’s groundwork = a head start.

<a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Over the years (opens in a new tab)" href="https://stories.starbucks.ca/en/stories/2020/starbucks-sustainability-timeline/" target="_blank">Over the years</a>, the company has partnered with other organizations and invested in ways to bring sustainable practices to scale, including the <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2019/20-million-people-fed-through-starbucks-foodshare-program/" target="_blank">Starbucks FoodShare</a> program, <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2019/closed-loop-partners-announces-12-winners-of-the-nextgen-cup-challenge/" target="_blank">NextGen Cup Challenge</a>, becoming a leader in <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.starbucks.com/responsibility/environment/leed-certified-stores" target="_blank">L.E.E.D.&nbsp;(Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)</a> stores, investments in renewable energy and a goal to eliminate plastic straws by the end of 2020. It has also spent two decades, in partnership with <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.conservation.org/" target="_blank">Conservation International</a>, to achieve the milestone of sourcing 99% of coffee ethically through&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.starbucks.com/responsibility/community/farmer-support/farmer-loan-programs" target="_blank">C.A.F.E. (Coffee and Farmer Equity)&nbsp;practices</a>. Research shows that implementing C.A.F.E. practices over the years has more than halved what the company’s carbon footprint would have otherwise been. “This pledge to become ‘resource positive’ is bold and necessary – exactly what I’ve come to expect from Starbucks,” said Dr. M. Sanjayan, chief executive officer of Conservation International. “For more than two decades, Conservation International has partnered with Starbucks to source coffee in ways that are good for the people and the planet. We succeeded – today, 99 percent of Starbucks is ethically sourced – but we have not rested. Now we are working to bring the entire coffee sector along to make coffee the world’s first sustainable agricultural product. This is what it will take to meet today’s challenges: bold vision paired with action that does not rest.”

5. A greener green apron.

Starbucks partners are mobilizing for change in increasing numbers. More than 18,000 partners have enrolled in an online “Greener Apron” course on sustainability and environmental stewardship in the last two years, and the number continues to grow. Lisa Ference, a store manager in Conway, Ark., is among those. Her “aha moment” came a few years ago when an oil spill near her home devastated a local lake, and ever since she’s felt strongly about getting involved and speaking up for wildlife and the environment. She was thrilled by Tuesday’s news from Starbucks. “I feel certain that over the next decade we will become the model for other companies seeking to become resource-positive as this is, in my opinion, also the pathway to sustaining our business in the long term,” she said. “There are so many reasons to be grateful for this company, but the most important is that our mission and values are a reflection of my own. Sustainability is a flagship issue in my personal journey, one that I feel incredibly passionate about, and it’s a privilege to work for an organization that doesn’t wait to be summoned to act. We do it because it’s the right thing to do.”

The announcement is an important moment for Starbucks, said Sheila Bonini, senior vice president leading private sector engagement for <a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">World Wildlife Fund</a>, the world’s leading conservation organization. Bonini said a lot of companies make environmental commitments, but what excites her most are the moments down the road when those companies get to celebrate each step toward meeting those goals.

“I’m impressed with Starbucks leadership – with their ambitious strategy to tackle sustainability as well as their humility and willingness to look at all parts of the business to try to achieve it,” Bonini said. “We are already starting to see some catastrophic effects of climate change. It’s clear our level of consumption and production today is more than the planet can take. We all need to address it. We need to address it yesterday.”

She believes it’s important for companies to not only make it easier for people to act sustainably, but to help them understand why it’s important. 

“People want to be green, but we have to help them get there,” she said. “We’re all partners in this.”

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Learn more about our sustainability initiatives:

Starbucks Sustainability Commitment Greener Stores

On Tuesday, Starbucks announced “a bold, multi-decade aspiration” to cut carbon, water and waste each by 50 percent by 2030.

5 Things to Know About Starbucks New Environmental Sustainability Commitment

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A letter to our Starbucks partners, customers and all stakeholders:

At Starbucks, we live our mission of inspiring and nurturing the human spirit every day through the convening power of coffee.&nbsp;As ceo, I am joined by a leadership team privileged to steward&nbsp;our company into the future, staying true to this enduring&nbsp;mission, sharing success with our partners and leading with environmental consciousness.&nbsp;As we approach the 50th anniversary of&nbsp;Starbucks in 2021, we&nbsp;look ahead with a heightened sense of urgency and&nbsp;conviction&nbsp;that we must challenge ourselves, think bigger and do much more in partnership with others to take care of the planet we share.&nbsp;Today,&nbsp;I’m excited to be able to share with you&nbsp;our commitment&nbsp;to pursue&nbsp;a bold, multi-decade aspiration to become resource positive and give more than we take from the planet. This is an aspiration that we take on recognizing it will come with challenges and will require transformational change. Like most things that are worthwhile, this will not be easy. It will require all of us to play a role, and so we invite you to join us.

As many of you know, sustainability has been at&nbsp;Starbucks&nbsp;core since the beginning&nbsp;and consistent with our belief that we can build a great business that scales for good.&nbsp; And for many of us, its personal. Every day,&nbsp;our partners bring a sense of community and connection to our customers around the world.&nbsp;And every day, partners and customers take pride in our ethical and sustainable sourcing standards for coffee and our longtime support for coffee communities. 

We know that leadership in sustainability takes&nbsp;commitment, investment, innovation, partnership and, yes, time.&nbsp; It took nearly two decades of dedicated effort in partnership with Conservation International to achieve the milestone of sourcing 99 percent of our coffee ethically through&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.starbucks.com/responsibility/community/farmer-support/farmer-loan-programs" target="_blank">C.A.F.E. (Coffee and Farmer Equity)&nbsp;practices</a>. Our environmental footprint research shows that by implementing these standards,&nbsp;we have more than halved what our coffee’s carbon footprint would have been otherwise.

Becoming a leader in <a href="https://www.starbucks.com/responsibility/environment/leed-certified-stores" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">L.E.E.D.&nbsp;(Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)</a> stores took partnering with experts at the U.S.&nbsp;Green Building&nbsp;Council&nbsp;and a commitment&nbsp;to bring sustainable practices to scale.&nbsp;

Along the way, we have shared&nbsp;with&nbsp;the world&nbsp;what we&nbsp;have&nbsp;learned&nbsp;through open-source agronomy,&nbsp;farmer support centers&nbsp;and&nbsp;industry consortiums.&nbsp;Since 2001,&nbsp;we’ve published an annual&nbsp;<a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2019/2018-starbucks-global-social-impact-report/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">Global Social Impact Report</a>&nbsp;– one of the longest-running and most transparent reporting commitments of any public company. These annual reports not only highlight our progress but also reinforce our accountability for goals and aspirations which evolve with new information, innovation, and&nbsp;important lessons&nbsp;when we fall short. For example, we established reusability and recycling goals in 2008 that&nbsp;were&nbsp;unprecedented for our industry&nbsp;but also largely dependent on radical changes in customer behavior. What we learned was that, absent the same rigorous analysis, partnerships and investments that made us leaders in sustainable coffee and green building, our results underperformed our high expectations and underscored the need for a different approach.

Today,&nbsp;more than ever, the world needs leadership in environmental sustainability.&nbsp;We agree with the consensus of scientific experts who note that without drastic action from everyone – governments, companies and all of us as individuals – adapting to the impact of climate change in the future will be far more difficult and costly, taking a toll on our supply chains, our business, and more importantly, the lives of everyone involved, including coffee farmers, our suppliers, Starbucks partners, customers and every community we serve.&nbsp;

Now, it’s time to create a new, bold, broad aspiration –&nbsp;and it’s work that will require visionary thinking, new ways of working, investment of&nbsp;resource&nbsp;and urgent action. In that sense, I see today as a milestone for our business as we declare our concern about our planet’s future and commit to do more. 

Our&nbsp;aspiration&nbsp;is to become resource positive – storing more carbon than we emit, eliminating waste, and providing&nbsp;more clean freshwater than we use.&nbsp;This aspiration is grounded in Starbucks mission. By embracing&nbsp;a longer-term economic, equitable and&nbsp;planetary&nbsp;value proposition for&nbsp;our company,&nbsp;we&nbsp;will create greater value&nbsp;for all stakeholders.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Recently,&nbsp;we worked&nbsp;with World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Quantis to quantify the carbon, waste and water footprint of our operations and supply chain across the globe. This was the first time we had conducted that footprint assessment&nbsp;for all three of those areas,&nbsp;globally.

These benchmarks&nbsp;provided&nbsp;a&nbsp;clear&nbsp;starting point, which&nbsp;led us to define&nbsp;five&nbsp;environmental strategies that will begin to move us&nbsp;toward a resource-positive future:

While&nbsp;we’re&nbsp;confident these strategies&nbsp;are&nbsp;directionally&nbsp;right, our&nbsp;eyes&nbsp;are&nbsp;wide open&nbsp;knowing that&nbsp;we do not have all the answers or&nbsp;fully understand&nbsp;all&nbsp;the complexities and potential consequences.&nbsp;We&nbsp;do&nbsp;know&nbsp;that this journey will require&nbsp;new innovations and&nbsp;creative&nbsp;ideas from entrepreneurs, non-profits, our suppliers, our licensees, our partners and our customers.&nbsp;We will&nbsp;also&nbsp;be working in concert with&nbsp;widely&nbsp;accepted Science-Based Target initiative to help track our progress in conjunction with other companies.

As we&nbsp;move forward,&nbsp;we will be transparent in&nbsp;reporting&nbsp;short- and long-term&nbsp;progress against our&nbsp;goals.&nbsp;We’re starting by&nbsp;setting&nbsp;three&nbsp;preliminary targets&nbsp;for 2030 that will be the focus of our research and operational plans over this next year:

On Starbucks 50th&nbsp;anniversary in 2021, we will formalize our 2030 environmental goals based on what we have learned&nbsp;between now and then. Specifically, this year we will conduct comprehensive market research and trials to better understand consumer behavior and incentives to encourage consumer use of reusable containers. Working in collaboration with experts and advocates, this research will help inform aspirational and attainable reusability goals in various markets and globally by next year.&nbsp;&nbsp;

For all of us as stakeholders, I want to reemphasize that the journey we undertake is not only the right one for Starbucks&nbsp;responsibility as a corporate citizen of the world&nbsp;but&nbsp;is&nbsp;also&nbsp;fundamental to our brand relevance and, therefore, our overall business results.&nbsp;As such,&nbsp;we&nbsp;remain committed to our long-term, double-digit EPS growth model and&nbsp;will continue to&nbsp;deliver targeted financial results by&nbsp;prioritizing the right investments across our partners, customers and planet in support of our “Growth at Scale” agenda.

Today is a milestone&nbsp;for our business as we declare our concern for our planet’s future and commit to do more.&nbsp;I invite you to join us.

Kevin Johnson ceo,&nbsp;Starbucks&nbsp;Coffee Company

Learn more about our sustainability initiatives:

An aerial shot of the Starbucks logo made of greenery

Starbucks ceo Kevin Johnson announced Tuesday a renewed focus on sustainability, all with an eye toward someday “giving more than we take from the planet.”

Starbucks Commits to a Resource-Positive Future, Giving More Than It Takes from the Planet

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https://stories.starbucks.ca/en-ca/stories/2020/kevin-johnson-letter-sustainability/

Last March, Starbucks announced it would be rolling out new, lightweight, recyclable strawless lids for iced beverages in select markets around the country. Today, we’ve announced that our sustainability goals are now in action and strawless lids will be hitting Starbucks stores in Toronto this month.

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Toronto will be the first city in the country to receive the new lids, rolling out to the rest of Canada in 2020.&nbsp;&nbsp;

With nine per cent less plastic than the current lid and straw,&nbsp;this&nbsp;shift&nbsp;is a key milestone for Starbucks as the company works to phase out&nbsp;all plastic straws from its more than 30,000 stores worldwide by 2020, eliminating more than one billion straws per year.&nbsp; Straws will be available upon request for those who need them. &nbsp;

<a href="https://stories.starbucks.ca/en/stories/2019/say-hello-to-the-lid-that-will-replace-a-billion-straws-a-year-2/">Click here</a> to read the original announcement posted in April.

Following through on their committment from earlier this year, Starbucks announced today that Toronto stores would see strawless lids in stores this month.

Starbucks strawless lids hit Toronto this month! - Starbucks Canada

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Starbucks strawless lids hit Toronto this month!

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https://stories.starbucks.ca/en-ca/stories/2019/toronto-gets-strawless-lids/

A lot of people, love and science make your morning cup happen.

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At a coffee farm on the side of volcano in Costa Rica, Starbucks is innovating and learning on behalf of the coffee farmers everywhere. All that research is open-source, in pursuit of making coffee the first sustainable agriculture product. It’s a huge undertaking, but one that everyone involved takes personally. 

At a coffee farm on the side of volcano in Costa Rica, Starbucks is innovating and learning on behalf of the coffee farmers everywhere.

From seed to cup: The journey to sustainable coffee - Starbucks Canada

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From seed to cup: The journey to sustainable coffee

https://stories.starbucks.ca/en-ca/stories/2019/from-seed-to-cup-the-journey-to-sustainable-coffee/