Beyond the cup. - Starbucks

FROM FARMERTO CUSTOMERStarbucksEnvironmentalEfforts AlongOur Value Chain1 2Farmers: ConservationThrough C.A.F.E. Practices and ourpartnership with Conservation International,Starbucks is encouraging farmers to useenvironmentally sound growing practices tohelp protect biodiversity.Roasting: EnvironmentalManagementEmissions control technology is used to controlthe smoke and odors from coffee roasting atour plants. When new plants are opened, thebest available technology is employed. Otherefforts to minimize our roasting plant impactsinclude retrofitting our stacks with catalyticburners, recycling light bulbs to preventmercury halide from reaching landfills, andcomposting coffee chaff, stretch wrap andcorrugated cardboard.Measuring and Monitoring OurProgress for Each ProjectStarbucks conducted an environmental footprint assessmentin 2000 to help identify a number of focus areas that weconsidered to be high impact. We remain committed tothese priorities. Metrics were established for each focus area,enabling us to track and report on our performance. A briefdescription of our focus areas as well as the results of ourperformance follows.• Coffee – The amount of sustainably produced and organiccoffee purchased. (See pages 19, 23 and 25 for thisinformation.)• Tea – The amount of certified organic ingredientspurchased. (See page 29 for this information.)• Paper – The percentage of post-consumer fiber andunbleached paper fiber contained in our annualpaper purchases.• Transportation of people – The percentage of partnersusing alternative commuting options at Starbucks SupportCenter (administrative headquarters).• Waste reduction – The percentage of U.S. customersusing commuter mugs, which reduces the number ofdisposable paper cups that are used and discarded.• Recycling – The percentage of our U.S. and Canadastores, where Starbucks controls waste and recycling, thatparticipate in recycling programs.• Energy consumption – The amount of electricity andnatural gas used per square foot in our U.S. and Canadacompany-operated stores.• Water consumption – The amount of water usedper square foot in our U.S. and Canada companyoperatedstores.OUR CHALLENGE OF MEASURING UTILITY CONSUMPTIONOur ability to accurately track the total amount of energyand water used to operate our stores depends on whetherStarbucks pays the utility bills directly, or whether ourlandlords assume responsibility for the utilities. WhenStarbucks directly manages the utilities, we receive anaccounting of our utility usage, whereby we can track ourperformance over time. Often landlords assess their tenantsfor utilities based on leased square footage, recapturing theircosts as part of the tenant’s rent. In these situations, we don’treceive detailed statements for utility usage. Similarly, ourlicensees are not required to report their operating expenses orutility consumption to Starbucks.These challenges not only impact our capacity to track ourutility consumption globally, they also impede our abilityto fully identify the drivers of our energy and water usage.We are hopeful that Project Green BELT (described on page58) will help us better understand utility consumption inour stores so that we can resolve these issues and improveour performance.60ENVIRONMENT