Starbucks is looking for ways to trim carbon emissions

In the Starbucks store in downtown San Mateo, Calif., baristas serve up about 40,000 cups of coffee drinks every month. Just based on utility bills alone, that means Starbucks is serving up about 4,900 pounds of carbon with its drinks -- or about two ounces per cup. "While Starbucks chooses not to calculate its carbon footprint every year, the company does conduct annual progress checks, but these numbers are not publicly reported," says this story. (Forbes.com)

Comments

[Callimaco]

Simple way to reduce carbon emissions: stop giving me that second "insulating" cup with my double espresso.

How about getting recycling in ALL stores!

[Northern Latte]

callimaco....do your part and say you don't want the second cup...do you know how many people ask for 2nd or even third cups? I tell them all they should think of a personal mug and save a tree!

[anmous]

Oh is that why the stock hasn't budged. quit worrying about carbon emissions and start worrying about building another daypart....lunch....

[TheZero]

Why do people fall for this global cooling... er... warming... no, that isn't right... uh... change thing? I've never understood why people fall for junk science.

I'm all for recycling at my store, but this global footprint stuff has gone too far.

[Callimaco]

NL - I actually do decline the cup when I see them do it - or give it back before I leave the counter if I don't catch it. But I suspect most people don't. I can understand the need for a sleeve or even a second cup on a larger beverage, but for a couple shots of espresso? Come on ...

By the way, on a related note, a while back I went into a store and they had run out of small cups. Rather than give me my espresso in a tall cup they offered to put it in what I presume was a sample cup (looked like the big cups but the size of a demitasse). It was perfect. I've been thinking of asking for that again but I don't know 1) if all stores have those cups, 2) what they're called, and 3) if it's allowed (i.e. is there really a rule that says they have to give me my to-go drink with a lid?).

[kzoobarista]

It blows my mind that a company like Starbucks doesn't make recycling in all their stores mandatory. Milk jugs, plastic cups, cardboard... the list goes on.

[Lilith]

Get out your beverage resource manuals, guys. Solo and doppio espressos are supposed to go in 4oz sample cups.

"Shooter cup ok?"

"It blows my mind that a company like Starbucks doesn't make recycling in all their stores mandatory. Milk jugs, plastic cups, cardboard... the list goes on."

Has to do with store location and the waste management service that is contracted by the landlord. I was able to call my waste management company and have them setup a recycling dumpster, but only because we had the exclusive "dumping rights" to the dumpster area.

Some obstacles to recycling are

1) You share a dumpster area with other businesses and can't get them to split the additional cost to have a recycling only dumpster with you.

2) You simply don't have the space for an additional dumpster

3) Within the stores, partners can get lazy and maybe scrape off that whipped cream on that Venti Caramel Frappucino (customer: "oops did I forget to say no whipped cream?") into the recycling trash can. The problem that creates is, from my understanding, you can't recycle product that has food residue on it. (ie pizza boxes)

[tired barista]

I always hand out espressos in a single 4 oz. cup with a lid. I need to check if that’s the exact standard. I know that tall cups are wrong. You can ask for it in a short cup, which, not surprisingly, most people have not heard about because it is not on the menu. By the way, an espresso shot is traditionally served in a cup that helps it retain heat (and taste better), like a ceramic demitasse cup. It also helps if you warm it with steam or hot water before you pull the shot.

I can think of so many regular customers who could have a personal cup and don’t. A few advantages:
-You save paper and plastic
-You save $0.10
-You can get a lid that prevents spills
-You save time: if you have a complicated bar drink, get a personal cup and write out the drink
-Your drink tastes better because the cup retains heat better

Please note that the hot Starbucks cup cannot be recycled because they contain plastics that help contain the drink. Every single one goes in a landfill somewhere!

[kzoobarista]

Perhaps it's idealistic of me, but I would like to think that Starbucks would be firm enough in their convictions and tell a landlord that recycling is a priority for a "green company" like it claims to be. I know this isn't practical, and I'm sure people will tell me the stock is more important (i.e. good location vs. environmental landlords), but it just makes me sick sometimes.

Having to keep your cup clean is a pain though. Try leaving a cup with latte residue in your car for a couple of days.

[Herman M.]

While, as the article admits, these calculations are a bit dodgy or "a black art", I think, from what I've read on the subject, that the cups are the least of the worries. The carbon the tree had captured prior to being pulped is still largely in the cup. Burying it, while needlessly filling for our dumps, still keeps that carbon locked away.

OK, not the most environmental outlook there. And yes, I'd love for us to find a way to overcome the difficulties and recycle everywhere. But that's not really what the article is about.

It's the other aspects that are more bothersome. Like the fact that we chose the completely ignore the carbon emissions involved in transporting the beans from origin to roaster. Come on, if we're going to do this, at least go all the way.

If a bicycling team sponsored by a television network can do a better job of this than us, we need to either reevaluate how we are going to execute, or stop bragging about it in the press.

[StL Shift]

Our store uses Compact Fluorescent light bulbs where we can. Our lighting over the line, due to safety standards and our local health code, has to be a certain type that is shatterproof to prevent glass from contaminating anything.

One thing that corporate could do is cut down on shipping material. We get huge boxes with three CDs in them. Ridiculous.

Recycling is done at our store. Customers only have access to it if they ask, though.

There are lids for the 4 oz. sample cups?

[Rebecca]

starbucks should encourage the use of "to stay" china mugs instead of the "to go" paper cups. the mugs, plates, and saucers can be washed and used again. i often see students studying, people reading newspapers, those with laptops using the wireless internet, and many others who chose not to leave with their drinks. this may not be practical in locations that are near, say, a train station, but the larger stores with decent seating areas that have people sitting for an hour at a time could definitely benefit.

[wheresthecoffee]

Do the china mugs cover all sizes of drinks or only the talls and shorts? Many of the people I see sitting in a store are nursing a venti whatever while they do their work.

[StL Shift]

We have all sizes, hot and iced.

[Becca]

Stores have ceramic cups for all sizes (demi tasse through venti)but a lot of people still don't want them. I always ask if the customer wants their drink in a mug if it's a tea, drip coffee, espresso or if they've already selected a pastry on a plate. I find that the 20-25 and +50 crowds like mugs but the 10-20 and 25-45 crowds cringe at the thought of them.

When I tour stores, one of the things that I find is that partners get confused as to what is a grande and a venti for her cup. I've toured stores where I ordered a venti iced passion tea, so they make it in the shaker, but put it in a grande iced cup, and then dump out the rest, but I still get charged for the venti.

Another problem is that the company doesn't educate our partners enough about the importance of warming the ceramic mugs and personal cups. Thus, many of our customers don't want to accept that sacrifice in quality for recycling benefits.

[Becca]

Iced venti cups are bigger than hot ones, so when the iced tea is made in the shaker and then poured into a ceramic mug, there will be left overs.
Also, I don't know about every store, but all the stores I've worked at have been very adamant that ceramic mugs are warmed before putting drinks in them.

Our property already had a cardboard and newspaper recycling dumpster. I really wanted a plastic and glass dumpster so I called the waste management and signed up for what I thought was the same size dumpster as the cardboard dumpster. A week later waste management came to drop off my dumpster and the dumpster was half the size of the cardboard one. I was told by the rep that this was the only size but it should work. So we started using this small dumpster (no trashbag are aloud becauce that pastic is not recylced, so we have to dump the milk jug out of the trashbag) and filled up the dumpster in 3 days and pick up serve is only once a week.
I would love to recycle everything but the servives are not in our favor.
And as for E, EM, ECP 4oz(sample)cups or demitasse cup for here and a 8oz cups with lid for togo.

[STARBLOGGER]

- Recycling at Starbucks is perhaps our greatest opportunity. Because each store has to adhere to local resources/rules, the logistics of transporting our own recycling across the board for every store would be a nightmare. THINK OF THIS AS WELL: BECAUSE WE WOULD HAVE TO INSTITUTE OUR OWN RECYCLING PROGRAM AND NOT USE A PREXISTING RECYCLING INFRASTRUCTURE, WE WOULD HAVE TO BUILD OUR OWN FLEET OF VEHICLES...
- There are no lids for the 4oz sample cups. Yes, all stores should have them as they should be sampling regularly.
- The drink manual directs baristas to serve solo/doppio espressos in 4oz sample cups. We put them in 8oz cups because they come with a lid for portability.
- The higher-ups ARE aware of the recycling issue and are, even now, working towards ways to make a positive and meaningful impact on the global warming issue...

[Barist Bryan]

How about closing our drive-throughs so everybody isn't sitting there wasting gas in idle? Or serving more beef so that there are less cows because they are the biggest producers of "green house" gasses in the world? While we're on the subject, stop serving soy as it is cruelty to animals (just ask, I'll tell you how if anyone is interested).
BUT SERIOUSLY! How about NOT double cupping americanos. You can just put a sleeve on them instead. This will save on garbage out-put, and also help your store save money by not using so many cups. YES! you are allowed to do it this way and it is actually encouraged by corporate hq.

[BOSTON STARBUCKS REBEL]

I just found out that the Holy See is going to be the first carbon neutral country in the world. Granted that the country only has 600 residents and covers a very small area. However, it is nice to know that when small countries start doing something to prevent climate change on such a large scale that maybe each one of us does too. I try not to create a lot of trash simply by using only one trash can and filling it over several days. Also, its easier if people just bring their own bottles and stuff to get water from the store when they go home too. Also, at my store for partners, we always ask them if they want their drinks in a for-here cup and/or mug because that makes more sense, especially for partners who we know are not going anywhere that far on their break. There is almost absolutely no need for a partner to get their drink in a paper or plastic cup when in fact they are not leaving the store premises. And if the partner is simply bringing home a beverage, please try to use your own personal cup. Although this might sound like a pain or something, trust me, its not because we can all work together.
I myself, refuse to use the air conditioning in my apartment unless the ambient temperature rises beyond 100F with humidity above 90%. Otherwise, I just remove my clothing because energy conservation is another important way to conserve the planet's energy.
Also, when you do have to get something, think how far away the place actually is. Here in Boston, most items are less than one mile away. You can simply use the T or just walk there. Walking is a good form of exercise in case you didn't hear.
Please, everyone, take a very introspective look at your lifestyle and what can be done to make it more "green" in the sense that you do not unnecessarily have deleterious environmental effects. Everything from not turning on the lights, to taking a 2 minute shower, to rinsing the dishes with cold water will help.

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