Singapore – Popular coffeehouse chain Starbucks has announced that it is scaling its Greener Store program across Asia-Pacific in order to set benchmarks for the company regarding its environmental responsibility.
Five Greener Stores across Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam are amongst the first in the Asia Pacific region to be certified, with over 20 more expected in 2023. With over 3,500 ‘Greener Stores’ certified across 20 markets, Starbucks is on a path towards achieving its goal of 10,000 Greener Stores total by 2025
The new Greener Stores in the Asia Pacific region help reduce Starbucks environmental impact through performance-based standards that incorporate design and extend throughout the life of a store. Each Greener Store has a unique combination of sustainable features that qualify for third-party verification on a quarterly basis.
This ranges from features like energy and water efficient equipment and appliances, low-emitting paints and sealants, Grounds for Your Garden program, as well as energy efficient HVAC temperature systems and more. Additionally, the new Greener Stores in Asia include elements that go beyond the standard to deliver more robust energy, carbon, water, and waste reductions.
In support of Starbucks’ goals of reducing carbon, water, and waste footprints by 2030, the open-source Greener Stores Framework was co-developed with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The framework includes a set of 25 performance-based standards across environmental impact areas such as energy efficiency, water stewardship, and waste diversion, designed to accelerate the transformation of retail towards lower-impact stores.
Michael Kobori, chief sustainability officer at Starbucks, said that they are excited to continue expanding their Greener Store portfolio worldwide, which is a key step towards reaching their resource positive goals.
He also added that they have already seen results of their Greener Stores in the United States where they first piloted, as well as seeing significant reductions in energy use as well as water being saved.
“With a company of Starbucks scale – any one action, no matter how small, has the potential for massive impact. We are heartened by our partners around the world who are stepping up to adopt our Greener Store standards. This is testament of their energy and passion for sustainability that continues to drive our innovation,” Kobori said.
