Beyond the cup. - Starbucks

SUSTAINABLE STORE DESIGNFor several years, Starbucks has been working with theU.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) to develop LEED(Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standardsand a scoring system specifically for the retail sector. Ourvision is that the retail-specific scoring system can be usedto LEED-certify a prototype of a Starbucks store, and that a“volume-build” criteria will also be developed. This will allowus to build future stores consistent with the prototype moduleand the LEED criteria.In the meantime, in 2005 we designed and built our first storein accordance with LEED Commercial Interior standards.The store is located in the Civic Center in Hillsboro, Oregon.We applied for LEED Gold* certification from the USGBCin 2006. At the time of this printing, we had not receivedfinal certification from the USGBC.Although this will be Starbucks first LEED-certified store,the components that make up this store are very similarto the company’s existing stores. This reflects our ongoingcommitment to incorporate the use of energy-efficientlighting, paints with reduced toxic chemicals andsustainable wood products that are Forest StewardshipCouncil (FSC) certified.* Different levels of green building certification (certified, silver, gold,platinum) are awarded based on the total credits earned in each ofseveral categories: site, energy, material and resources, indoorenvironmental quality and water.Starbucks Hillsboro, Oregon store was built in accordance with LEED CommercialInterior standards.Environmental Measures in Our Store Design1 Cabinetry made from 90 percent post-industrial material,with no added formaldehyde2 Efficient lights that use less energy3 Paints with lower amounts of volatile organic chemicals4 Eco-Terr ® flooring tiles made from 70 percent post-consumerrecycled content, 10 percent post-industrial content5 Store designed to capture available natural daylightStriving to Buy, Selland Use EnvironmentallyFriendly ProductsIn 2001, Starbucks developed coffee buying guidelines (whichhave evolved into C.A.F.E. Practices) that changed ourpurchasing practices by giving higher priority to suppliers whoproduce coffee in a sustainable manner. (See pages 18-22) Butour commitment to buy, sell and use environmentally friendlyproducts extends well beyond our coffee. For example, weare making environmental improvements to our paper cups,designing more sustainable packaging and engaging withother paper buyers to develop guidelines for paper purchasing.Paper Working GroupIn 2005, Starbucks continued to participate in the PaperWorking Group (PWG), a group of 11 large paper buyersled by the nonprofit organization Metafore. As a foundingparticipant of the PWG, Starbucks is working collaborativelyto develop and implement a procurement tool to help paperbuyers evaluate the environmental performance of paper(beyond recycled and unbleached content). Over the lastyear, Starbucks solicited feedback from major paper fibersuppliers about the tool, and participated in two ENGO(environmental nongovernmental organization) stakeholdersummits. In 2006, we plan to pilot the evaluation tool with afew major fiber suppliers.Sustainable Packaging DesignOur involvement with the Sustainable Packaging Coalitionhas given us the opportunity to learn from and share ideaswith other businesses and packaging suppliers. It has inspireda more sustainable approach to our packaging design process,such as minimizing the use of materials and incorporatingrecycled content, whenever possible. We are also workingto minimize the use of petroleum-based polyvinyl chloride(PVC) in our packaging, as well as exploring the feasibilityof using an alternative coating that could some day make ourhot beverage cups recyclable.56ENVIRONMENT