Starbucks: Powering Hundreds of Stores with Renewable Energy

Starbucks has long been a pioneer in integrating renewable energy into its operations.

Since 2005, the global coffeehouse chain has demonstrated a commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship through purchasing renewable energy, achieving 100% coverage for its US company-operated stores by 2015.

Despite reaching such milestones, Starbucks continues to work toward a greener future by purchasing renewable energy and powering thousands of its stores with wind and solar-generated energy.

A commitment to renewable energy

Starbucks’ dedication is not just in the US — all company-owned stores in Canada, EMEA and Japan are powered by renewable electricity. 

As well as this, Starbucks purchases enough renewable electricity globally to power 77% of its company-operated locations. This broad and deep commitment underscores Starbucks’ leadership in corporate sustainability and its relentless pursuit of a resource-positive future.

“We are committed to becoming resource positive — to give more than we take from the planet,” Starbucks said in its Becoming Resource Positive report. “We will store more carbon than we emit, eliminate waste and conserve and replenish more freshwater than we use.”

One of the stand-out ways Starbucks is driving this commitment is through solar projects. In partnership with Nexamp, it is working on six community solar projects in Illinois, US, which will provide meaningful energy savings to more than 1,100 people when they come online in 2025. As well as this, the partnership will allow Starbucks to purchase electricity coverage for 170 Illinois stores. This is in addition to the 340 company-operated Illinois stores already powered by wind energy.

Michael Kobori, Starbucks’ CSO said: “Starbucks is committed to our environmental promise to give more than we take and we have a long history of renewable energy projects that bring clean energy to more communities.

"We’re proud to support Nexamp’s efforts to bring community solar into areas where it can have the most impact and make savings opportunities available to community members.”

Additional capacity on each project as part of Starbucks and Nexamp’s partnership will help make electricity savings available to a range of Nexamp customers across Illinois.

As well as boasting clean energy and savings benefits, these projects will support employment opportunities and workforce development programmes state-wide.

Nexamp CEO Zaid Ashai added: “Community solar is a perfect way for retailers to make progress on their own sustainability goals while also playing a role in the build-out of renewable energy resources that have the ability to directly benefit their own customers.

“That was the case with Starbucks, which shares our vision of equitable access to community members. Climate change is one of the most important issues of the day and we can only make meaningful progress on decarbonisation when companies come together to develop impactful, inclusive solutions.”

The solar energy generated from these projects — 40MW — will cut around four million pounds of CO2 emissions across a 15-year period.

Starbucks’ Impact Report

As detailed in Starbucks’ Impact Report, which looks back on its 2023 achievements, the brand certified more than 6,000 of its stores as ‘Greener Stores’, meaning they meet robust standards set in partnership with World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and SCS Global Services across eight environmental impact areas.

• Water stewardship
• Partner engagement
• Energy efficiency
• Waste diversion
• Renewable energy
• Responsible materials
• Responsible sites
• Responsible communities.

Starbucks aims to have 10,000 Greener Stores worldwide by 2025. In FY23, 77% of Starbucks stores worldwide use renewable electricity.

To support and encourage the development of new renewable electricity and energy storage facilities, Starbucks is involved with direct investment and long-term contracts that ensure project financing. On top of this, it offers purchase renewable energy certificates from new and existing facilities. 

Starbucks also ensures its customers can make more energy-concious choices when visiting its stores thanks to the expansion of its roster of onsite solar and hosted EV charging stations.

Starbucks’ 2030 commitments

Starbucks has a multi-decade commitment to cut its carbon, water and waste footprints in half by the end of the decade.

Its dedication to a resource-positive future includes investments in eco-friendly operations, regenerative agricultural practices and curating an environmentally friendly menu.

In its commitment to becoming a resource-positive company by 2030, the company has made a variety of pledges.

They include.

• Carbon: Reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50% in its direct operations and supply chain
• Water: Conserving or replenishing 50% of water used in global operations, packaging, and agricultural supply chain
• Waste: Cutting waste sent to landfills from stores and manufacturing by 50%, moving towards a circular economy