International coffee house titan Starbucks has committed to ensuring that 5% of its energy consumption this year at its US stores will come from renewable sources.
The Seattle-based coffee king said that it will use energy from sources such as wind to make up the 5% of energy usage and that the policy will ensure a reduction of 2% on the company’s carbon dioxide emissions.
Starbucks’ commitment translates into an annual carbon dioxide emissions reduction of 34,209,600 pounds. This reduction is comparable to annually removing nearly 3,232 cars from the road or powering approximately 2,500 homes. The coffee seller is now one of the top 25 purchasers of green tags in the US, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Starbucks is mindful of the long-term implications that climate change has on the environment, said Sandra Taylor, Starbucks senior vice president of corporate social responsibility. By supporting renewable energy sources we believe we are taking a step in the right direction and encourage other businesses to do the same.
The pledge will, however, only cover Starbucks’ in-house owned US stores and will therefore not cover franchised establishments, overseas outlets or other corporate facilities, which use the majority of the company’s energy supply.