In 2008, Starbucks set forth some bold green goals for company-wide efficiency, sourcing and sustainability in general. The company’s most recent report highlights significant progress made toward those goals in 2010, particularly in green building and renewable energy.
According to a recent release, the coffee franchise has now completed the pilot phase for the U.S. Green Building Council’s new LEED Volume Certification program. Starbucks plans to build all new, company-owned stores to LEED standards starting this year.
Starbucks has also made some real strides with clean power, reporting that it purchased renewable energy (or Renewable Energy Credits, or RECs) equivalent to half of the electricity used in all of its North American company-owned stores in 2010–58%, in fact. For this achievement, the company has been named the fourth-largest purchaser of renewable energy in the U.S. by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Starbucks’ new goal is to purchase renewable energy/RECs equivalent to 100% of the electricity used in its company-owned stores worldwide by 2015. More information on the company’s sustainability efforts in 20100–including coffee sourcing, carbon offsetting programs, and more–is available online.
Source : Earth Techling
