Rina started as a part-time barista in college before taking on different roles in marketing, public affairs, digital strategy and social impact. In 2022, she helped launch the <a href="https://www.ywcakl.org.my/post/starbucks-upcycled-flavorlock-pouch-project-launch-in-starbucks-stores" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Starbucks Upcycled Flavorlock Pouch project</a>, where Starbucks works with local seamstresses to help turn whole bean coffee packaging into <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKKVtKwQr8g" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">small lined handbags</a>, giving them a second life. Not only does this save potential trash from the landfill, but for every pouch sold, Starbucks donates money to the YWCA in Kuala Lumpur.&nbsp;&nbsp;

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It is more than just coffee. I am very fortunate to love what I do and be presented with many interesting opportunities. At Starbucks, every day is an ongoing learning journey and it’s always exciting for me! Inspired by many partners, communities and NGOs that I worked with, my team and I are happy to pay it forward by strategizing sustainable social impact programs that are able to empower and create pathways to the beneficiaries. While it has its challenges, it is undoubtedly a very fulfilling career.

Meet the women at Starbucks who are crucial to the coffee business, every step of the way, around the globe.

Rina, head of sustainability and social impact – Malaysia

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Rina, head of sustainability and social impact – Malaysia 

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By Michael Ko/Photos by Joshua Trujillo

As Starbucks turns 50, Michelle Burns, who leads coffee at Starbucks, and her team are working to ensure the best outcomes for coffee farmers and the land it’s grown on.

Michelle Burns remembers vividly the trip she took to Colombia in 2018. As the sun broke through the clouds, she trekked into a rugged mountain region in Caldas, one of the country’s main coffee-producing regions – a two-and-a-half-hour ascent up through steep terrain, then down into a valley. There, she and her group were greeted by about 15 local farmers, mostly young people who’d returned home and recently started coffee farming after decades of armed conflicts in the area had subsided.

“They shared their stories with us,” recalls Burns, now Starbucks&nbsp;<a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/leadership/michelle-burns/">executive vice president of Global Coffee, Tea and Cocoa</a>, “stories about conflict and all the challenges that happened in Colombia, stories of moving away after losing family members who were in coffee farming.

“They’d come back to reclaim that land. And we asked them, ‘What can we do to help?’”

The moment – and her subsequent takeaway: “the incredible possibility to positively impact the lives and support the next generation of farmers” – led to the Starbucks Colombia Initiative, called “Granos de Esperanza” (grains of hope), a kind of real-time agricultural and economic innovation lab.

Today, 100 local farmers in Nariño, Colombia are learning the latest climate education, soil and fertilizer analysis techniques and coffee cultivation and business practices. They’re applying innovations gained at Hacienda Alsacia, the Starbucks research farm in Costa Rica. And they’re incorporating new technologies like eco-pulpers that use less water in the coffee-production process.

The moment also widened Burns’ perspective on the bean-to-cup journey and drove home the importance and urgency of making sure that Starbucks is committed to doing the work and making the investments to ensure a sustainable future of coffee for all, especially for those who grow it and the land they work on. &nbsp;

To that end, Starbucks has opened&nbsp;<a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2021/starbucks-opens-farmer-support-center-in-brazil-for-coffee-growing/">10 coffee farmer support centers</a>&nbsp;around the globe, the latest in Brazil; committed to provide 100 million healthy coffee trees to coffee farmers by 2025; provided access to low-interest loans to coffee farmers in regions where traditional banks are not an option; and piloted programs in Guatemala to help coffee-farming families diversify their income streams.

A commitment to take less and give more to the planet

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Starbucks has also&nbsp;<a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2021/starbucks-announces-coffee-specific-environmental-goals/#:~:text=In%202020%20Starbucks%20committed%20to,50%25%2C%20both%20by%202030." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">set goals</a>&nbsp;to achieve carbon-neutral green coffee and conserve water usage in green coffee processing by 50 percent, both by 2030.

“That is bold,” Burns says. “The effort that needs to happen on methodology and technology and bringing all the pieces together, it’s somewhat uncharted territory. We’re very ambitiously out there, not yet having all the answers, but trying to find the solutions.”

Specifically, Starbucks is focusing on reducing its carbon and water footprints at “the first ten feet” – starting on the farms – and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by equipping farmers with precision agronomy tools, promoting and distributing climate-resistant tree varietals and protecting and restoring at-risk forests in key coffee landscapes.

As part of its water conservation strategy, Starbucks is investing in ecological wet mills that can save up to 80 percent of water in coffee processing. To date, Starbucks has helped install 12,000 such new mills around the world.

“You think about the magnitude of water scarcity around the globe. Are there potential ways to innovate and identify and use equipment that is better for the environment? There are over 200,000 wet mills currently in our supply chain. We’ve only scratched the surface on scaling this technology.

“I am seeing the possibilities, and I get excited about the overall positive impact we can have. I feel the best knowing we’ll never hold this as our own. We’re working with others in the industry, so this work is in service to the entire coffee sector – and hopefully beyond, into the broader agricultural industry – because we’re committed to build on open sources of sharing.”

Burns still has the large handmade red ceramic mug that a fellow partner (employee) gifted her 26 years ago, her first at Starbucks. When it’s cradled in her hands, she feels familiarity and friendship, comfort and warmth. Like so many others who have a coffee ritual, this mug is part of hers.

These days, when she drinks coffee out of this mug, she’s reminded of the need to slow down and savor the moment.

For 50 years, coffee has been the core of Starbucks, and Burns always comes back to that, especially as a highly visible leader during intensely complex times – a climate crisis, crop diseases like coffee rust, a highly charged political landscape, an aging farmer population, supply chain disruptions due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, labor and staffing shortages.

“It is important to stay true to the heart and the mission of our company, and the love for coffee, and your experience with it.

“I believe that by honoring our heritage, staying true to where and why we started as a company – strongly rooted in our mission and values, with an aspiration to make sure that in the end, we’re giving more than we’re taking – then we can really go after the biggest, boldest aspirations.”

That thinking led Starbucks to develop one of the coffee industry’s first ethical sourcing standards,&nbsp;<a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2020/cafe-practices-starbucks-approach-to-ethically-sourcing-coffee/">Coffee and Farmer Equity (C.A.F.E.) Practices</a>, a verification program that allows Starbucks to ensure it gets high-quality, ethically sourced coffee while also gaining insights into the challenges faced by farmers and supply chain operations in the more than 30 different coffee-producing countries around the world – and then to share that knowledge back.

C.A.F.E. Practices measures more than 200 criteria – as scored by an independent third-party auditor – in the categories of economic transparency, environmental leadership, social responsibility and quality. Starbucks pays premiums above commercial market price to help ensure coffee farmer profitability, and also financially rewards supply chains that reach the highest performance levels.

That commitment to stay rooted in Starbucks mission and values continues to drive Burns in her work – especially as a woman leading in the coffee industry – whether it’s planet-first initiatives, farmer support or increasing awareness among customers of the entire coffee-making process.

“You just think about the magnitude,” Burns says. “How many hands actually touch the coffee along the way, how many miles are there from a field to one of our stores? It’s incredible… That has to be integrated into all the ways we work, think and act. We work in support of 400,000 farmers, just like we work in support of 400,000 partners.”

Given that Starbucks buys about 800 million pounds of coffee every year, or about 5 percent of the world’s coffee, Burns says, “the potential to positively impact the lives and livelihoods of farmers and their communities is tremendous.

“People have watched us working hard to do the right things, find solutions and take great care of farmers and their communities, for decades. They grant us an amount of trust and opportunity to help lead the discussion around ensuring a sustainable future of coffee for all. That is a privilege as well as a responsibility, but it’s so important that we follow through. “When I think about that challenge, and I look at what is required, and the journey ahead, my sense is, we must. We must be brave, and we must lead, and set out aspirations that are bold to take the path that can create a better future for those that grow coffee and their families, and to ensure that the beauty and art and ritual that’s coffee remains in all of our cultures, for decades and decades to come.”

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As Starbucks turns 50, Michelle Burns, who leads coffee at Starbucks, and her team are working to ensure the best outcomes for coffee farmers and the land it’s grown on.

Working to create a more sustainable future of coffee for all - Historias-en

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Working to create a more sustainable future of coffee for all

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Chances are, you haven’t heard much about open-source agronomy. But as a coffee lover, it affects you directly because it’s the key to ensuring the future of quality coffee. "Open-source" means sharing information. "Agronomy" means "the science of soil management and crop production." Starbucks believes in doing just that. For the last decade we have been taking an open-source approach with our latest research from places like our Global Agronomy Center in Costa Rica, and sharing our tools, best practices, and resources with growers around the world — whether they sell to us or not.

Today’s farmers are facing constant challenges to their sustainability and Starbucks is committed to helping them.

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Starbucks currently operates Farmer Support Centers in key coffee producing countries around the world, from Costa Rica to Rwanda. There, farmers get free access to the latest findings of our top agronomists like Carlos Mario Rodriguez, including new varietals of disease-resistant trees, and advanced soil management techniques.

The goal is to build upon traditional growing methods to help farmers continue to improve both the quality of their crops, and their profitability, ensuring the future of high quality coffees for everyone.

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Watch and read about the newest trend in farming: open source agriculture. Farmers are sharing resources from all over the world to maintain quality.

Open Source Agronomy

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Why you should care about open-source agronomy

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It can be hard to find the right words to convey the experience of 2021 – another year largely shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic that was full of peaks, valleys and just the day-to-day stresses of the unknown. Things we’d hoped would be normal again by now are still challenging.&nbsp;

But even within that, there were – and are – still so many beautiful moments when we truly see the humanity of the world and what happens when we come together.

Around the world, our partners (employees) once again stepped up for each other, their communities and their customers. They gave back, brought joy and worked hard, knowing that comfort can sometimes be found in a cup and that the ritual of a trip to Starbucks can provide even a little bit of normalcy in a world that can be so unpredictable.

For Starbucks, 2021 also marked our 50th anniversary. From our beginning back in 1971 as a small coffee, tea and spice shop in Seattle’s Pike Place Market to today, we are looking forward to our next 50 – bringing people together over coffee, and helping create a better future for our planet and everyone on it.&nbsp;

While it can be hard to find the words to hold all that, sometimes photos can, so today we’re looking back at some of our favorite images from 2021. Reminding us of the powerful moments we have been able to share. And most importantly, inspiring all of us to keep going forward with hope and optimism for what is yet to come.

Our stores are in neighborhoods and towns around the world and our partners represent, support and celebrate those communities. We span a beautiful spectrum, and we honor our diversity. From <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/aapi-heritage-month/">Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month</a> to <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/pride-heritage-month/">Pride Month</a>, <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2021/black-history-month-starbucks-partners-share-what-inspires-them-to-keep-going/">Black History Month</a>, <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2021/starbucks-celebrates-latinx-heritage-month/">Latinx Heritage Month</a>, <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2021/in-disability-pride-month-starbucks-partners-share-their-stories-and-how-others-can-be-better-allies/">Disability Pride Month</a>, <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2021/celebrating-american-indian-and-alaska-native-heritage-month/">American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month</a> and more, we featured partners and their stories of identity, culture and tradition.

Visit our <a href="https://www.instagram.com/starbucks.stories/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Instagram</a> to see more stories from our Heritage Month series.

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50th anniversary

In 1971, a small coffee, tea and spice shop opened near Seattle’s Pike Place Market with a name out of Moby Dick and an alluring siren as a logo.

In 2021, while we celebrated our 50th anniversary, it was a great time to unbox some of the historic and <a href="https://archive.starbucks.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">archival items</a> that had been gathered and stored at Starbucks headquarters in Seattle – spanning the history of the company.

We found original menus, bags of coffee and tea, our first-ever holiday cup, tokens for free coffee and even unopened bottles of <a href="https://archive.starbucks.com/record/mazagran" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mazagran</a> – a carbonated coffee beverage launched in 1994 that lasted only a brief time but developed a dedicated following.

Store dedicated to the Navajo Nation

Like so many across the world, the Navajo Nation was ravaged by the pandemic. In the early days of COVID-19, Starbucks store manager <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/coming-home-store-manager-brings-covid-19-supplies-to-navajo-nation/">Ty Barbone worked to make sure essential supplies were reaching people in his community</a>. But Barbone wasn’t done. He&nbsp; reached out to Starbucks leadership and became the spark behind the new Indigenous Partner Network – one of 12 partner-led networks across the U.S.

Barbone’s store on the edge of the Navajo Nation in Gallup, New Mexico was remodeled and reopened as Starbucks 22nd Community Store, dedicated to the Navajo Nation and indigenous people.&nbsp;Each Community Store hires local partners, works with local artists and contractors, and teams up with nonprofits, with the goal of becoming a hub of community activity.

In November the store was dedicated in a community ceremony, with dancers from nearby Zuni Pueblo performing a traditional Deer Dance to honor the new gathering space. A hand painted mural by Navajo artist Daniel Josley is a centerpiece of the store, celebrating his heritage.

Stepping up, helping out

Even in the midst of the pandemic, Starbucks partners didn’t sit idly by in 2021. As always, they were getting involved in community efforts around the globe. We continued our work with Feeding America® to address the growing need for food assistance, and partners gave their time in food banks to <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2021/starbucks-grants-support-equitable-access-to-food/">to help get food to those in need</a>. They also volunteered in homeless shelters and with many other organizations that offer help to those in need.

With grants from The Starbucks Foundation, <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/asia/stories/2021/starbucks-celebrates-world-water-day/">our partners worked to bring clean, safe drinking water</a> and handwashing stations to communities in Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Mexico, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

Expanding support for farmers and the planet

Coffee farmer Walquíria Peixoto Correa holds the coffee she saved for her own family after the conclusion of harvest on her family farm in Guaranésia, Brazil.

In 2021, <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2021/starbucks-opens-farmer-support-center-in-brazil-for-coffee-growing/">Starbucks opened our first farmer support center in Brazil,</a> our 10th globally, offering resources to farmers like Walquíria. Located in Varginha, Minas Gerais state, the new Farmer Support Center provides open-source agronomy and training on ethical sourcing practices to farmers, regardless of whether or not they sell to Starbucks.

A coffee farming community in the hills near Turrialba, Costa Rica. Costa Rica is home to Hacienda Alsacia, the only Starbucks-owned farm in the world.

The heartbeat of Starbucks

Our partners are truly the heartbeat of Starbucks. Even during this pandemic, they bring joy, care and connection to our customers and each other every day.

In 2021, we were able to feature some of our partners and their real-life stories in everything from <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2021/meet-gigi-barista-musician-and-star-of-starbucks-new-tv-spot/">ads celebrating our 50th anniversary</a> to storytelling about what these amazing humans are able to accomplish, including those who work hard to earn their bachelor’s degree through the Starbucks College Achievement Plan.

As always, we are in love with coffee, including the way it comes to life in our cups.

A looping GIF shows milk cascading through a cup of Starbucks Cold Brew, photographed with a macro lens.

Working with local artists

Through the Starbucks Art Program, we have the privilege of working with talented local artists to create original pieces for our stores and offices around the world. In 2021, the team worked with many artists including longtime contributors Jen Ament and Marisol Ortega, here working on new pieces in their studios.

Using our skills to help speed vaccine delivery

Starbucks partners tested out the flow of mock vaccine stations, including pretending to deliver vaccines, at the company’s Tryer Center.&nbsp;

Starbucks serves 100 million customers a week in 30,000 stores around the world. You could say we have lots of experience moving people through spaces.

In January <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2021/offering-to-serve-starbucks-joins-effort-to-help-speed-covid-19-vaccination-delivery/">Starbucks teamed up with the State of Washington</a> and other companies to help find efficient ways to move people through COVID-19 vaccination sites. Mock stations were set up in the Tryer innovation lab in our Seattle headquarters, and tests were conducted on how to move people through the vaccination process. The information was shared with the Washington State Vaccine Command and Coordination Center and implemented at early mass-vaccination sites in Washington State.

Taking flight for the holidays

In early December, Starbucks teamed up with longtime partner, Alaska Airlines, to offer a unique BOGO flight deal. On Dec. 7, a custom-painted Alaska plane decorated with Starbucks holiday cups lifted off from Seattle Tacoma International Airport en route to Chicago. A large prop cup, part of a photoshoot, seemed to walk past the airplane on the tarmac before takeoff.

As the curtains close on 2021, one thing is clear: The year was made so much better because of the people. Our partners and the wonderful customers that visit our stores all coming together to lift humanity and leave us all inspired. As we’ve always known, it truly is about so much more than coffee.

We're looking back at 2021 with images that remind us of the powerful and uplifting moments we have been able to share amidst another year of upheaval.

Starbucks 2021: The year in pictures

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Today, Starbucks is launching a collaborative effort with dairy farmers and <a href="https://www.nature.org/en-us/">The Nature Conservancy</a> to help refine and scale an approach to sustainable dairy and environmental stewardship for the betterment of people, planet and animals.

Supporting the long-term health of the dairy industry is the latest effort in Starbucks <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/starbucks-solidifies-pathway-to-a-planet-positive-future/">commitment to a resource positive future</a> – giving more than we take from the planet.

Since Starbucks introduced its first handcrafted beverage, the Caffè Latte, in 1984, cow’s milk has been an integral ingredient for the company. And while Starbucks will continue to expand <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/plant-based-menu-innovation-at-starbucks/">plant-based menu options</a>, dairy is part of more than half of Starbucks core beverage offerings.

At the same time, dairy is the biggest contributor to Starbucks carbon footprint and the second highest contributor to water withdrawal. To reach our planet positive goals, we must innovate and work with others to source dairy responsibly and sustainably.

“As a company that works with and relies on the farming community every day, it’s our responsibility to help drive solutions that support both people and our planet,” said Kelly Bengston, Starbucks Chief Procurement Officer. “We hope to combine the best knowledge and resources to help farmers increase their productivity, quality and profitability while decreasing their environmental footprint. More than anything, our success depends on how we work together.”

Collaborating with farmers to support a sustainable future is <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2019/building-a-sustainable-future-for-coffee-together/">work we’ve done before</a>. In 2004, Starbucks introduced <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2020/cafe-practices-starbucks-approach-to-ethically-sourcing-coffee/">Coffee and Farmer Equity (C.A.F.E.) Practices</a>, Starbucks approach to ethical sourcing. Developed with Conservation International, these guidelines provide comprehensive social, environmental, and economic criteria that if followed, can help sustain and strengthen communities that grow coffee while maintaining Starbucks high-quality standards, now and into the future.

Just as with our coffee, Starbucks goal is for the dairy we buy to be produced under high quality, sustainable and responsible practices. With the same collaborative spirit that inspired our C.A.F.E. Practices nearly two decades ago, Starbucks will learn from and work with dairy farmers and The Nature Conservancy to refine and scale our collaborative approach.

“Starbucks and The Nature Conservancy have a shared commitment to a more regenerative, lower-emission dairy industry,”&nbsp;says Stewart Lindsay, Managing Director, Corporate Engagement at The Nature Conservancy. “Starbucks has set compelling goals, and we look forward to working with the company, with producers, and with other partners to achieve better outcomes for people, animals, and the planet.”

The Nature Conservancy is a global environmental nonprofit that has grown to reach 75 countries and territories. Their team consists of more than 400 scientists on staff dedicated to addressing our planet’s biggest challenges: climate change and biodiversity loss. They have a long history of working with the agriculture industry – from farmers to ranchers – to advance conservation and promote climate and water smart practices.

Read on for an at-a-glance look at milestones in Starbucks journey to sustainable dairy:

Launches our first on-farm pilot through U.S. Dairy Net Zero Initiative with Alliance Dairy, a farm that is woman-owned and operated, and has a strong record of sustainability, including water reuse and converting methane into biogas. Alliance Dairy was an early adopter and has been producing renewable energy from manure since 2012. As part of this pilot, a full suite of technologies, like evaporative nutrient recovery, will be explored with the goal of helping Alliance Dairy to become a source of renewable and organic fertilizer and water reuse, while significantly reducing GHG emissions.

Begins work with Agolin in the U.S. to source milk from cows fed Agolin Ruminant, a plant-based feed additive certified by the Carbon Trust to improve feed efficiency and reduce enteric methane, ultimately reducing dairy’s carbon footprint while also helping dairy farmers increase financial returns.

Starbucks UK launches a pilot with Arla cooperative farmers around the UK. The program seeks to identify innovative new farming practices to help reduce the emissions associated with dairy production that can be scaled across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA).

Announces a collaboration with The Nature Conservancy to help refine and scale Starbucks collaborative approach to sustainable dairy and environmental stewardship. This foundational effort includes working with farms and co-ops in Starbucks supply chain to perform baseline assessments against social and environmental practices that we believe can help propel the industry towards a more sustainable future – helping to reduce emissions and protect water resources.

Joins the U.S. Dairy Net Zero Initiative (NZI), a <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/starbucks-solidifies-pathway-to-a-planet-positive-future/">partnership</a> of the U.S. dairy community seeking to enable progress toward the industry’s goals of achieving greenhouse gas neutrality and improvements in water quality on farms. Through a $10m investment, Starbucks is providing more farmers access to effective environmental and economically viable practices and technologies – from feed production to manure handling, cow care and on-farm energy efficiency.

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Joins the Farm Powered Strategic Alliance as a <a href="https://vanguardrenewables.com/vanguard-renewables-launches-farm-powered-strategic-alliance-as-a-call-to-action-for-food-manufacturers-and-retailers/">founding member</a>, repurposing food waste in Starbucks supply chain into renewable energy via farm-based anaerobic digesters. The process produces low carbon fertilizer that host farms use to support regenerative agriculture practices, while Starbucks, in turn, helps contribute to a low carbon economy.

Invests $100m in <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2019/starbucks-commits-100-million-as-cornerstone-investor-in-valor-siren-ventures/">Valor Siren Ventures</a>, a growth driver for the next generation of food and retail start-up technology companies like Blue Ocean Barns – which is focused on curbing methane emissions through all-natural feed additives.

Photos courtesy of Alliance Dairy

Starbucks is launching a collaborative effort with dairy farmers and The Nature Conservancy to help refine and scale an approach to sustainable dairy.

Starbucks Journey to Sustainable Dairy

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Starbucks journey to sustainable dairy

“They shared their stories with us,” recalls Burns, now Starbucks <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/leadership/michelle-burns/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">executive vice president of Global Coffee, Tea and Cocoa</a>, “stories about conflict and all the challenges that happened in Colombia, stories of moving away after losing family members who were in coffee farming.

The moment also widened Burns’ perspective on the bean-to-cup journey and drove home the importance and urgency of making sure that Starbucks is committed to doing the work and making the investments to ensure a sustainable future of coffee for all, especially for those who grow it and the land they work on. 

To that end, Starbucks has opened <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2021/starbucks-opens-farmer-support-center-in-brazil-for-coffee-growing/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10 coffee farmer support centers</a> around the globe, the latest in Brazil; committed to provide 100 million healthy coffee trees to coffee farmers by 2025; provided access to low-interest loans to coffee farmers in regions where traditional banks are not an option; and piloted programs in Guatemala to help coffee-farming families diversify their income streams.

Starbucks has also <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2021/starbucks-announces-coffee-specific-environmental-goals/#:~:text=In%202020%20Starbucks%20committed%20to,50%25%2C%20both%20by%202030." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">set goals</a> to achieve carbon-neutral green coffee and conserve water usage in green coffee processing by 50 percent, both by 2030.

“I believe that by honoring our heritage, staying true to where and why we started as a company – strongly rooted in our mission and values, with an aspiration to make sure that in the end, we're giving more than we're taking – then we can really go after the biggest, boldest aspirations.”

That thinking led Starbucks to develop one of the coffee industry’s first ethical sourcing standards, <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2020/cafe-practices-starbucks-approach-to-ethically-sourcing-coffee/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Coffee and Farmer Equity (C.A.F.E.) Practices</a>, a verification program that allows Starbucks to ensure it gets high-quality, ethically sourced coffee while also gaining insights into the challenges faced by farmers and supply chain operations in the more than 30 different coffee-producing countries around the world – and then to share that knowledge back.

“People have watched us working hard to do the right things, find solutions and take great care of farmers and their communities, for decades. They grant us an amount of trust and opportunity to help lead the discussion around ensuring a sustainable future of coffee for all. That is a privilege as well as a responsibility, but it's so important that we follow through. “When I think about that challenge, and I look at what is required, and the journey ahead, my sense is, we must. We must be brave, and we must lead, and set out aspirations that are bold to take the path that can create a better future for those that grow coffee and their families, and to ensure that the beauty and art and ritual that's coffee remains in all of our cultures, for decades and decades to come.”

Smiling woman in flowered shirt holding mug that says "Colombia"

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Our vision for the future is to become resource positive — giving back more than we take from the planet. And we know we can’t do it alone. It takes all of us.

BECOMING A RESOURCE-POSITIVE COMPANY

An Update on Our Progress

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In January 2020, we announced a multi-decade aspiration to be a <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/starbucks-announces-multi-decade-aspiration-to-become-resource-positive/">resource-positive company</a>, giving more than we take from the planet. This means storing more carbon than we emit, eliminating waste and replenishing more freshwater than we use.

We set preliminary <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/infographic-starbucks-sustainability-commitment/">2030 reduction targets</a>, pledging to cut our carbon, water and waste footprints by half, working from a 2018 baseline. Since then, our carbon goal has been validated as science-based from the <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://sciencebasedtargets.org/" target="_blank">Science Based Targets Initiative</a> (SBTi), and as part of the validation process we adjusted our baseline year for all three reduction targets to FY19. The SBTi has confirmed that our scope 1 and 2 portion of our 2030 carbon target is aligned with a 1.5°C pathway, the most ambitious level they validate.

To meet our 2030 goals, we set five key strategies, rooted in science, grounded in Starbucks Mission and Values, and informed by comprehensive market research and trials:

We are governing our sustainability commitments through our Global Environmental Council, which is comprised of senior leaders across Starbucks whose compensation is tied to performance against our goals. We also formally review and seek counsel from our Board of Directors Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, along with informal advisors who are experts and influencers in the sustainability sector.

From FY19 to FY20, we are able to report an 11% reduction in carbon emissions against our 2030 carbon goal; 4% water reduction against our 2030 water goal; and 12% reduction in waste against our 2030 waste goal. This level of annual reduction at this stage in our journey toward our 2030 targets was not anticipated and is due primarily to reduced business activity in FY20 as a result of COVID-19; it is not likely to be typical going forward. They are also due, in part, to improvement of data availability and quality as we improve our environmental impact measurement process.

NEW EFFORTS TO REDUCE CARBON AND REPLENISH WATER

An Update on Our Progress&nbsp;

As we work to invest in regenerative agriculture, reforestation, forest conservation and water replenishment in our supply chain, we launched pilots in FY20 in Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, Rwanda and Kenya focused on working toward reducing our environmental footprint in green coffee. This included alternative coffee processing and new wet mill innovations designed to save up to 80% of water, as well as precision agronomy practices – such as analyzing soil and leaves – to help reduce our carbon footprint.

Through our partnership with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), we’re leveraging WWF’s <a href="https://waterriskfilter.panda.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Water Risk tool</a> to map our highest risk basins and better understand the challenges in those basins across origin countries and store communities, helping ensure long-term access to freshwater.

And in FY20, we joined the new <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/starbucks-furthers-commitment-to-sustainability-goals-by-joining-transform-to-net-zero/">Transform to Net Zero</a> initiative as a founding member. Comprised of nine founding members, the Initiative’s objective is to accelerate the transition to a net zero global economy no later than 2050 by developing and delivering research, guidance and roadmaps to guide businesses in achieving net zero emissions.

Oatmilk, Meat Substitutes

Expanding Starbucks plant-based menu globally is one of the ways we are pursuing our carbon reduction goal. Our aim is to provide customers with a variety of choices. Starbucks stores around the globe launched <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/plant-based-menu-innovation-at-starbucks/">new plant-based menu options</a> in FY20. Most significantly, Canada, China and the U.S. introduced oatmilk; the U.S. introduced the Impossible™ Breakfast Sandwich; and Canada and China introduced breakfast sandwiches using Beyond Meat® products.

Researching Incentives, Testing Single-Use Fees

Goal: Double the use of reusable cups from 2016-2022 COVID-19 safety measures challenged our ability to allow customers and partners to use personal cups and “for here” ware in our stores, and we paused on those initiatives while using FY20 to conduct consumer and market research to better understand how best to incentivize the use of reusables. In FY20, 1.3% of beverages sold were in reusable cups, either a customer’s personal cup or “for here” ware, in company-operated stores in Canada, EMEA, Japan and the U.S. Meanwhile, we tested single-use cup fees in UK and <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/emea/stories/2020/starbucks-rolls-out-5-cent-paper-cup-charge-across-germany/">Germany</a>. And in the UK, Starbucks <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/emea/stories/2020/starbucks-circular-cup-a-reusable-cup-made-from-recycled-coffee-cups/">launched the Circular Cup</a>, a reusable cup made in the UK from approximately six single-use paper cups.

MANAGING WASTE FROM CUPS AND STRAWS

Five New Markets Recycling, Strawless Lids in U.S. and Canada

In partnership with <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.closedlooppartners.com/" target="_blank">Closed Loop Partners</a> and the <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.closedlooppartners.com/nextgen/" target="_blank">NextGen Consortium</a>, we worked in FY20 toward our goal to develop 100% compostable and recyclable hot cups. In FY20, five new markets joined the list of major markets where Starbucks hot cups are recyclable: Kent County, Mich.; Lansing, Mich.; Sioux Falls, S.D.; St. Lucie County, Fla.; and Athens County, Ga. They join 13 other major markets: Seattle; Washington, DC; Denver; New York; San Francisco; Boston; Louisville, Ky.; Dallas; Vancouver; London; Amsterdam;and Chattanooga, Tenn. In Canada, stores are funding in-store recycling where it’s possible.&nbsp;

As we work to shift away from single-use plastics and champion the use of recycled content in packaging, our hot cups contain 10% post-consumer fiber. In FY20, we joined the <a href="https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/our-work/activities/new-plastics-economy" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy Global Commitment</a> that’s centered around a vision of a circular economy for plastic in which it never becomes waste. In doing this, we committed to:

In our effort to eliminate one billion plastic straws a year, we are on track to meet our 2021 goal. In FY20 <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2020/starbucks-strawless-lids-now-available-across-the-u-s-and-canada/">we completed the rollout</a> of strawless lids across the U.S. and Canada, which we modeled after our hot drink lid and has approximately 9% less plastic than the flat lid and straw historically used for iced beverages. Unlike traditional plastic straws, the strawless lids can be recycled in many markets in the U.S. and Canada. We also signed the <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://usplasticspact.org/" target="_blank">U.S. Plastics Pact</a> as a call to action for a better waste infrastructure.

RENEWABLE ENERGY FOR STORES AND COMMUNITIES

Powering 72% of Operations Globally

Goal: Invest in 100% renewable energy to power operations globally by the end of 2020 Worldwide, Starbucks purchases enough renewable energy to power 100% of our company-operated locations in the U.S., Canada and Europe, and 72% of company-operated locations globally, with market constraints in China and Japan challenging our ability to reach our 2020 goal. As members of the RE100, we remain committed to reaching 100% renewable energy globally as access increases in Asian markets.&nbsp;

A priority in FY20 was expanding our roster of <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/starbucks-solidifies-pathway-to-a-planet-positive-future/">renewable energy</a> projects in the U.S., supporting the growth of green energy onto the grid close to the stores that use the energy. We used our scale to drive innovation across the energy sector and support not only our stores but also the communities around our stores:

Goal: Build and operate 10,000 stores in the Greener Stores framework globally by 2025 Through our open-source <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2018/starbucks-announces-global-greener-stores-commitment/">Starbucks Greener Stores framework</a>, developed in partnership with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and in collaboration with other nongovernmental organizations, we have created a new benchmark in retail for design, construction and operation. In FY20, our second year of certifying stores, we tripled the number of stores in the Greener Stores network to a total of 2,317 certified stores in the U.S. and Canada. Circumstances surrounding COVID-19 slowed some areas of progress, but it also provided an opportunity for us to build on learnings from our first year to optimize standards to reflect the needs of our diverse store portfolio. We also saw stores improving their adoption of Greener Store standards, such as energy efficiency and recycling, thanks in part to partners’ growing interest and motivation surrounding sustainability.

28,000 Partners Enrolled in Greener Apron

Goal: Empower 10,000 partners to be sustainability champions by the end of 2020 With growing interest among our partners in sustainability, more than 28,000 worldwide have now enrolled in in the Greener Apron sustainability training program through Starbucks Global Academy. We continue to expand opportunities for partners to engage on sustainability, in part because increased awareness and adoption of environmentally friendly practices among partners is key to the success of our overall sustainability goals.

Read more and see fiscal 2021 updates on our progress in the full report.

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Our vision for the future is to become resource positive — giving back more than we take from the planet. And we can’t do it alone. It takes all of us.

Starbucks 2020 Global Environmental and Social Impact Report: Planet

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https://historias.starbucks.com/en-es/stories/2021/gesi-report-2020-planet/

2020 Report: Planet

In 2020 Starbucks committed to a resource-positive future, formalizing environmental goals to cut its carbon, water, and waste footprints by half.

As a progression against those goals, the company commits to Carbon Neutral Green Coffee and to conserve water usage in green coffee processing by 50%, both by 2030.

Starbucks has a bold aspiration to be a <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/starbucks-announces-multi-decade-aspiration-to-become-resource-positive/">resource positive</a> company, to take less and give more to the planet in every aspect of its business – including coffee. Starbucks purchases coffee from more than 400,000 farmers in 30 countries around the world and is committed to a sustainable future for coffee.

To protect the resiliency of this supply chain, the people that make it possible, and the planet we all share, Starbucks set goals to achieve carbon neutral green coffee and conserve water usage in green coffee processing by 50% by 2030.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

“As we celebrate 50 years of Starbucks, we are looking ahead at ways we can reimagine the future and continue to inspire and nurture the human spirit,” said Michelle Burns, svp of Global Coffee, Tea and Cocoa at Starbucks. “For farmers and their communities, we know it is critical we work together to address the challenges they face associated with climate change which are making it increasingly difficult to grow high-quality coffee. By reducing carbon emissions and conserving water, we can help farmers be more productive while we are also contributing to a better planet and bringing coffee to customers in a sustainable way."

Accelerating Sustainable Coffee

From the beginning, Starbucks has been a leader in <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2019/building-a-sustainable-future-for-coffee-together/">sourcing coffee responsibly</a>.

These coffee-specific environmental goals are an extension of work underway with C.A.F.E. (coffee and farmer equity) Practices. Evidence shows that farmers participating in the program have higher productivity than the country averages. which has helped Starbucks create a long-term supply of high-quality coffee while positively impacting the lives of coffee farmers and their communities.

Now, in support of the company’s path to a Planet Positive future, Starbucks is focusing on its carbon and water footprints at Origin – or what Starbucks refers to as “the first ten feet” (farm to port).

With this focus on on-farm activities and land use change, Starbucks is addressing its largest source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in coffee before the rest of the coffee value chain (like transportation, roasting, or packaging).

“A strong model for corporate climate leadership; Starbucks has developed clear and ambitious targets that prioritize sustainability from farmer to customer,” said Dr. M. Sanjayan, CEO, Conservation International. “Just as significantly, they are backing these commitments with immediate actions to reduce their footprint and invest in nature. I encourage other companies to follow a similar path. &nbsp;It’s good for business, good for people, and essential for our climate.”&nbsp;

Carbon Neutral Green Coffee

Starbucks will work to meet its 2030 target of carbon neutral green coffee, reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in coffee at Origin then compensating for any remaining emissions, by deploying three primary strategies:

Through Starbucks Farmer Support Centers and a new soil scanning mobile app, the company is helping farmers understand the specific nutrients and fertilizer needed to increase farm productivity. In fact, more than 11,500 soil and foliar samples have been collected to date. With these custom, farm-specific solutions, farmers can target and decrease fertilizer use – which helps to decrease carbon emissions on their farms – and increase farm productivity.

With Starbucks open-source agronomy approach, the company shares research, seeds, and seedlings with farmers all around the world, helping farmers to adapt to climate change. These climate-resistant varietals are rust-resistant and enable farmers to grow more coffee on the same amount of land, which then helps to reduce overall carbon emissions.

Land use change and deforestation are the greatest climate risks&nbsp;facing the coffee industry. Working in partnership with Conservation International, Starbucks will invest in forest and landscape protection and restoration programs in coffee producing countries, starting in Colombia and Peru. These agroforestry efforts will not only remove carbon and support the carbon neutral pathway, but also will benefit freshwater ecosystems and coffee communities.

Water Conservation at Origin

Traditional coffee processing is water intensive. With 200,000 wet mills in Starbucks C.A.F.E. Practice supply chain, Starbucks has an opportunity to conserve water by ensuring farmers have access to more environmentally friendly machines, which also standardizes quality and increases processing efficiency for farmers.

Starbucks will&nbsp;achieve&nbsp;50% conservation in water usage by 2030 by:&nbsp;

Over the last year, Starbucks purchased nearly 600 eco-mills that have been distributed to coffee farms in Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, Kenya, and Rwanda. The result has been up to 80% water savings in coffee processing where installed.

Through <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2019/inside-the-tryer-center-the-starbucks-lab-where-anything-is-possible/">Starbucks Tryer Center</a>, we are working with suppliers to explore improvements to existing water processing machinery and technology. Meanwhile, through our <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2019/ensuring-access-to-agronomy-education-and-resources/">Farmer Support Centers,</a> we are conducting research and gathering insights from farmers to inform future machine design and operations.&nbsp;&nbsp;

As part of Starbucks long-term water strategy, the company will develop water replenishment projects at Origin, wAs part of Starbucks long-term water strategy, the company will develop water replenishment projects at Origin, with a focus on prioritizing action in high-risk basins while supporting watershed health, ecosystem resilience and water equity.

Over the last year, Starbucks launched programs in Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, Rwanda, and Kenya to test its carbon and water strategies impacting more than 92,000 farms. In addition to investing in new, water-conserving wet mills, Starbucks worked with farmers to gather more than 11,500 soil and foliar samples to inform soil health.

Based on the success of these initial pilots, Starbucks is now expanding the program to Colombia and launching a new, holistic sustainability project with 100 small-holder farmers in Nariño, Colombia. Over a five-year period, the Nariño project will combine the best of Starbucks knowledge and resources on regenerative agriculture, precision agronomy and farm economics.

Farmers will receive hands-on support including customized, in-depth agricultural and business education and training to best manage their crops and land. They will also receive new equipment and facilities to optimize for reduced water use and carbon emissions and new, climate-resistant coffee seedlings to replace unproductive trees.

This project and partnership with Starbucks will help farmers increase their productivity, quality and profitability while decreasing the environmental footprint generated from coffee growing and processing.

Measuring &amp; Scaling the Work

Starbucks knows the most pressing issues in coffee cannot be solved by one company alone, and that the best solutions require everyone coming together to collaborate in providing a better future for farmers.

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