Starbucks pushes for more sustainability in 2016
Partners for Sustainability will aim to have an impact worldwide, according to Susan Long, co-chair of the group and a member of Starbucks Global Responsibility team, which is sponsoring the effort.
It will aim to do so by engaging Starbucks partners from around the globe in an effort to establish Starbucks as a leader in integrated sustainable thinking.
John Kelly, Starbucks senior vice president of Global Responsibility and Public Policy, said he’s excited by the passion that partners bring to the company’s global sustainability goals.
“With our footprint in nearly 70 countries, we have an extraordinary opportunity to learn about local, partner-driven innovation in sustainability that we could bring to scale,” Kelly said. “By harnessing the ideas of Partners for Sustainability, sharing their stories and hearing directly from them on ways Starbucks can continue to lead on sustainability, we have a unique opportunity to make the green apron even greener."
“The question was how to marry those two – the people who have passion doing the great work in sustainability and the people who have that passion in their personal lives,” said Long.
“How do we bring them all together to create a think tank to help drive Starbucks forward in terms of sustainability? All partners, no matter what their position, have an opportunity to help drive sustainability at Starbucks. Partners for Sustainability is intended to help them connect, share and amplify their efforts.”
Speaking at a partner lunch-and-learn gathering at Starbucks Seattle headquarters that commemorated the Roastery’s LEED designation, John Harrison, co-chair of Partners for Sustainability, said, "You can’t sell coffee to people if you can’t farm the beans.”
He also noted that Starbucks will pass the 800 mark of LEED stores by the end of the year, a greater number than any company in the world and one that will nearly double by the end of 2016.
“Great work is being done by partners, from the baristas up to the Starbucks Support Center,” said Meghan Spence, the group’s director of communications.
“We need baristas’ passion for the environment and ideas. We’re the home where they can share best practices, share issues and connect with people who can make things happen and drive the conversation forward.”
