Global coffee chain Starbucks has announced a new ethical and environmentally friendly design policy for its stores.
As new company-operated cafes are built or existing ones renovated, they will get a green makeover, using locally-sourced, reused or recycled materials and elements wherever possible. The company has set a goal of achieving US Green Building Council LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification for all its new stores worldwide from 2010.
Older stores will be individually assessed for LEED potential when they are due for refurbishment.
Aims for new Starbucks premises include making them 25 percent more energy efficient, and deriving 50 percent of energy from renewable sources by 2010. The company has pledged to replace incandescent bulbs in all its stores with LED versions, to make recycling available in all company-operated cafes where it controls waste collection by 2015, and to ensure 100 percent of its cups are reusable or recyclable by the same year.
Stores will also have a more local feel, employing local craftsmen and local materials. One café, opened earlier this year in Seattle and designed and created under the new policy, used scrap leather from local shoe and car factories and fallen trees from the area for its décor and furniture. It also has a second-hand community table from a nearby restaurant.
Arthur Rubinfeld, President of starbucks Global development, said: “We recognise the importance of continuously evolving with our customers’ interests, lifestyles and values in order to stay relevant over the long term. Ultimately, we hope customers will feel an enhanced sense of community, a deeper connection to our coffee heritage and a greater level of commitment to environmental consciousness.”
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