As a manager at Starbucks, I see the large quantities of plastic we go through a day. Whether that be the various gallons of milk or the thousands of cups and lids, our stores are full of plastic. However, Starbucks is pioneering towards more sustainable solutions. I see many customers using re-usable cups we sell, in which there is a ten-cent discount used as incentive. On social media like Twitter, the craze over the limited-edition Starbucks cups is often criticized or made fun of.
Regardless of the steps the company takes to reduce and reuse, social media often trashes the Starbucks name. Whether it be because the prices are high or that the Starbucks plastic had been found in the oceans, they just can’t seem to catch any recognition for their pro-activeness thus far. When a company like this one is in such high demand for consumption, it’s bound to be hated by a large portion of the population.
Some sources I turn to for information on Starbucks steps to becoming a greener company is on USA Today, The Motley Fool, but most importantly straight from the horse’s mouth. I often read the section on Starbucks.com about their global reports for each year. They have breakdown reports of their steps to becoming greener ranging all the way back to 2013. The reports are often quite lengthy and go into great detail on their goals and shortcomings for that year as well.
I often see that it is easier to jump on a hate train for Starbucks than to acknowledge that they have opened 1,000 L.E.E.D (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) stores making them the world’s largest green retailer (Starbucks, 2018). With all the sources at hand on this topic, I am excited to see what is to come for this year and how the media will react.
