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As part of its new “Starbucks Greener Stores” initiative, the coffee retailer plans to have 10,000 environmentally friendly stores worldwide by 2025. Among the goals of the program, announced Thursday, is for the company to generate enough energy by solar and wind power to offset all the electricity needed to run the chain’s stores in U.S. and Canada. Working with environmental verification firm SCS Global Services, the World Wildlife Fund and other experts, Starbucks will develop a framework to build and operate environmentally sustainable stores. An accredited auditing program will be developed so that all 15,000 company-owned stores in the U.S. and Canada can be audited. The resulting framework will be open-sourced so other retailers can use it. The move comes on the heels of the company’s announcement that it will eliminate plastic straws in all stores globally by 2020. “Simply put, sustainable coffee, served sustainably is our aspiration,” Starbucks CEO and president Kevin Johnson said in a statement. The company announced the initiative Thursday at The Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco. “We know that designing and building green stores is not only responsible, it is cost effective as well.” Starbucks expects to save $50 million in utility costs over the next 10 years as the plan evolves. The coffee company says it already saves $30 million in annual operating costs with green store practices. Starbucks opened its first store certified by LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) in 2005, after four years of working with the U.S. Green Building Council to develop the LEED for Retail program. Starbucks, which has 28,000 stores worldwide, operates more than 1,500 LEED-certified stores in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and across 20 countries. In addition to investing in solar and wind power to match 100 percent of the energy used by its stores, Starbucks is looking to develop technology and practices that use 25 percent less power and 30 percent less water, according to he company’s program. Other goals include reduced waste, sustainably sourced products and materials, and increased community engagement in sustainable issues by employees. “This framework represents the next step in how Starbucks is approaching environmental stewardship, looking holistically at stores and their role in helping to ensure the future health of our natural resources,” Erin Simon, the director of research and development at World Wildlife Fund in the U.S., said in a statement. “When companies step up and demonstrate leadership, other businesses often follow with commitments of their own, driving further positive impacts.” – Source: USA TODAY

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