Starbucks: Green with Envy

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Recommended: Starbucks business ethics

To inspire and nurture the human spirit - one person, one cup

and one neighborhood at a time. – Starbucks Mission Statement

From the very beginning Starbucks has been driven to higher standards and to be known for their commitment to the environment as well as their delicious coffee. They call it “corporate citizenship”. Since 2001 Starbucks has been assessing their environmental footprint and making the results known to the general public in the hopes of inspiring others in a report called the “Shared Planet” report. From the time they opened their first store in 1971 the company has developed and committed itself to programs in ethical sourcing, environmental stewardship, community involvement, coffee purchasing & farmer support, recycling & reusable cups, energy & water conservation, and “green” building.

Over the years Starbucks has put forth a tremendous amount of effort to put their words into action. According to Starbucks Chairman, President and CEO, Howard Schultz, the company has “lived these values in the ways we ethically source our coffee beans and work to improve the lives of the people who grow them; in how we participate in the neighborhoods where we do business, operate our stores and care for the environment.”

With over 17,000 stores worldwide, it is not an easy feat to keep this overwhelming large entity in compliance with “green” protocol. The company has focused on five specific areas regarding the environment: recycling, energy, water, green building and climate change. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate just how well Starbucks is holding up to its promise to utilize responsible business practices, specifically, their performance in environmental stewardship, and “green” building.

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.... Retrieved January 25, 2012 from: http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/

dec2005/id20051201_506349.htm

Getting Hired, 2012. Featured Employer: Starbucks. Retrieved January 30, 2012 from:

http://community.gettinghired.com/blogs/ghfeatured/archive/2010/07/12/featured-employer-starbucks.aspx

Mother Nature Network (MNN), 2010, Starbucks and the Environment. Retrieved January 25, 2012 from: http://www.mnn.com/money/sustainable-business-practices/stories/starbucks-and-the-environment

Organic Consumers Organization, 2004. Starbucks continues to Greenwash with Weak Environmental Policy. Retrieved February 3, 2012 from: http://www.organicconsumers.org/starbucks/recycle.cfm

Starbucks Global Responsibility Report, 2010. Shared Planet Year in Reveiw: Fiscal 2010. Retrieved January 25, 2012 from: http://www.starbucks.com/responsibility/environment

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