The worlds leading coffee bar is taking a bigger – and bolder – step towards sustainability. Starbucks is providing menu items that are healthier for both its customers and the environment as it rolls out a menu that is 50% plant-based at its newest store in Shanghai, China.
Part of Starbucks Greener Stores initiative is the global coffee chains first store overseas. It will be actively promoting sustainability and the increased consumption of plant-based food and beverages.
The menu at Shanghais Greener Store includes fifteen new plant-based items ranging from snacks to desserts. Likewise, the store is the first of its kind because it offers oat milk as the default for its beverages as opposed to the standard dairy milk used in other Starbucks branches. This also means that Shanghai is the launchpad for two new drinks, the Salted Caramel Flat White and the Salted Caramel Breve, both of which are dairy-free.
A more sustainable way
The idea for Starbucks Greener Stores is an offshoot of its ongoing mission to cut carbon emissions by half come 2030 in keeping with the drive to cut the worlds carbon footprint by 50 percent.
According to company CEO Kevin Johnson, its also their way of meeting the growing demand for more sustainable plant-based menu offerings across the globe.
This whole shift to plant-based products is probably the most dominant shift in consumer behavior,StarbucksarentWere Johnson said, citing it as one of the biggest trends affecting the international food and beverage industry.
Greener Stores are expected to use less water, emit a lower rate of emissions, and considerably lessen their waste output by implementing Starbucks newly minted plant-positive practices. These new practices will soon be rolled out throughout the company.
Were not here to compete
Starbucks presently has 2,300 Greener Stores throughout North America, but executives are quick to say that these aren’t meant to be a tool to get a leg up against the competition.
According to Starbucks’ senior vice-president of store development Andy Adams, “Our approach to Greener Stores is meant to drive sustainable issues into the practice of operating retail.”
Adams also stated that the Greener Stores concept was also influenced by the way Starbucks worked with the US Green Building Council (GSGBC) to better understand how sustainability principles and practices could be applied to retail operations.
The company is slated to expand the concept to other countries, particularly Chile, Japan, and the United Kingdom, and expects to open 7,700 more sustainability-driven stores by 2025.
