This is How We Celebrate Earth Day in Latin America

By Historias Starbucks

At Starbucks we know that more than a drink, coffee is a symbol that represents tradition and can comfort the spirit, bringing people together and inspiring a better tomorrow. 

For everything this ancient elixir gives us, we consistently join forces with all the people who participate in the coffee journey, from the bean to the cup. Together, we want to give back more than we take from the planet and help create a sustainable future for the communities in which we have a presence. 

We know that every action counts and that is why we seek to take actions that bring us closer to the goal of halving our carbon, water, and waste footprint in all aspects of our business. 

In Latin America, we carry out different initiatives in order to positively impact the environment. Here are some of the most recent. 

Buy Half a Tree 

From April 5 to 7, in El Salvador, Guatemala and Costa Rica, people participated in the initiative "Buy Half a Tree" (Comprá la mitad de un árbol) as part of the volunteer of the month. However, this time not only our partners had the opportunity to participate, but we also invited our clients to be part of this local reforestation effort. 

If you bought a reusable cup, you would have contributed half of the resources to plant a tree, while Starbucks donated the rest. 

Find out how many trees were donated in real time and get more details about the “Buy Half a Tree” campaign here. 

A Cup Can Make a Difference 

Across the region, as part of Starbucks' commitment to become a resource positive company by 2030, we are promoting the use of reusable items in stores to create a positive footprint on the planet. 

This Friday, April 22, depending on the country you are visiting us from, you can get a free traditional traditional or Earth Day-themed reusable cup made from 50% recycled materials when getting a beverage, the new blue “Sip Sustainably” cup, or enjoy a free coffee of the day when you order your beverage and bring or purchase your own reusable cup. Every store in the region has something special for this important day. Visit your preferred Starbucks store to do your bit while enjoying your favorite beverage.

Reusable cups are back! 

En mercados seleccionados de Latinoamérica, nuevamente podrás llevar un vaso reusable o personal para saborear tu bebida favIn selected markets in Latin America, you will once again be able to bring a reusable or personal cup to enjoy your favorite beverage. Visit your favorite store in Mexico, Chile, Colombia and participating markets with your own cup for a discount, an initiative that was paused during the pandemic. 

Best of all, you don't need to leave your home to be part of the actions taken on this important day. If you use Starbucks Delivers in Mexico and if you wish to, you can now receive ground coffee waste as a gift for your compost, your house plants or your garden by placing your order through DiDi Food, Rappi or Uber Eats. 

Ciclobom: giving new life to Starbucks iconic paper cups 

For its part, Starbucks Brazil, in collaboration with BO Packaging, Ibema and Green Mining, is launching the Ciclobom recycling campaign in various stores in the country.

Ciclobom is an initiative that seeks to create a complete sustainable cycle for Starbucks paper cups. The idea is to collect all discarded paper cups to later turn them into sleeves for new drinks. 

The pilot stage of this project began in 2021 with 14 participating stores, but in 2022 the intention is to expand it to more than 60 stores to expand our reach. 

Ciclobom reinforces the sustainability actions that Starbucks Brazil already carries out in the country, such as the use of For Here Ware (ceramic tableware offered for consumption in the store). 

For a better future for the world 

These actions all across the region are an example of Starbucks' commitment to reducing waste and developing innovative sustainability initiatives in support of our long-term goal of being resource positive. 

We know that there’s still a lot to be done, but we firmly believe that every effort to create a better future, big or small, is important, so we will keep on working from our trenches and in partnership with others to continue evolving. 

In the meantime, we look forward with a sense of urgency and the conviction that we must challenge ourselves, think big and do much more to care for the planet we all share.