Starbucks have rolled out their latest Sustainability report.
So what?
They’ve increased recycling of the dreaded paper cup, installed efficiency measures in outlets, and are working towards using only electricity from renewables by 2015.
So far so good, right?
Sort of. Apart from the fact they seem to be very slow in tackling two of the biggest issues: water use and re-usable cups.
Starbucks’ water use increased by 5% in 2011, apparently due to changes in cleaning pitchers. Now, I’m all for health and safety but surely there is a great deal that could be done in educating and training staff? And with the buying power of a small country, Starbucks have a huge opportunity to improve the water efficiency of equipment.
Re-usable cups are a tricky issue. Most people would be loath to bring a receptacle with them every day. But if staff asked the question by default, perhaps it would encourage customers to think about it more. Being clear about how much you pay for a paper cup as part of your morning latte would also help.
Encouraging this change would reduce the huge costs of recycling and stop the need to find a secondary use for them.
A win-win all round.