by Stephanie Nikolopoulos for Industry Week
photo: APChanel/Shutterstock.com
“A green future is a prosperous future,” declares the EarthDay.org’s website. Every year, Earth Day is celebrated on April 22, and this year’s theme is Invest in Our Planet — a call to action that benefits the planet and businesses alike.
What if investing in our planet began with our morning coffee ritual?
From upcycling coffee plant waste to creating a solution to plastic coffee lids, we’re seeing the greening of the coffee industry. Here are three positive stories featuring some of the biggest names in industry as well as a look at how the coffee supply chain can become more eco-friendly.
Starbucks and Volvo Partner on EV Charging Network
Starbucks recently announced that it’s partnering with Volvo to establish a pilot electric vehicle (EV) charging network at its coffeehouses. The car manufacturer will install about 60 ChargePoint DC fast chargers at Starbucks stores on the West Coast.
The goal of the program is to evaluate the use of the Volvo-branded chargers at about 15 different Starbucks stores. The results will determine possible scalability.
The initiative is part of Starbucks’ work to become more sustainable, which also includes efforts to eliminate single-use coffee cups. It also serves as a model for how two big brand companies in disparate industries can collaborate to invest in the planet.
