Starbucks launches Asia’s first Greener Store

Starbucks has expanded its Green Store initiative into Asia with the first store opening in Shanghai, focusing on reducing waste and repurposing foods.

Greener Store Shanghai is the Chinese mainland’s first Starbucks store to use recycled and lower-impact building materials such as wood reclaimed from the renovation of other Starbucks stores.

The store features a bar made of modules which allows the store to adjust the layout by adding, removing or replacing them for different functions, such as ordering, beverage production and food display. At the ‘end of life’, modules that meet reuse standards can be refurbished and used again, hence reducing waste.

Meanwhile, its signature green aprons are made from recycled Starbuck PET cups using advanced plastic-to-textile technologies. According to the company, each apron achieves approximately 1kg of carbon reduction in its lifecycle.

Greener Store Shanghai will also host ‘Sustainable Coffee Classrooms’ with coffee masters selected from across the market, covering different sustainability practices adopted by Starbucks throughout the entire coffee supply chain.

The store is the first in the country to recycle its coffee grounds for use as fertiliser. After composting, they can be used in suburban farms and shopping mall gardens. Customers can also take coffee grounds back home for free.

In addition, Greener Store Shanghai marks the world’s first Starbucks store to host sustainability-themed exhibitions, where artists will be invited to give coffee grounds and other materials a new lease of life. Called the “Circular Lifestyle Lab,” the exhibition features sustainability-themed art installations made from recycled materials.

The store provides coffee grounds straws and cutlery made of biodegradable materials while encouraging customers to bring their own reusable cups or tumblers. Half of the menu is plant-based food, including 15 new food items and two limited-time offer beverages. Oatmilk will be used as the default option for most beverages.

First introduced in 2018 in collaboration with the World Wildlife Fund, Greener Store Framework has more than 2300 stores across the US and Canada. Starbucks aims to build and retrofit 10,000 Greener Stores globally by 2025.