Starbucks To Open Sustainability Innovation Lab In Costa Rica
Starbucks, in a major stride towards its environmental commitments, announced its plan to develop a sustainability learning and innovation lab at Hacienda Alsacia, its global agronomy headquarters based in Costa Rica. The lab aims to serve as a central hub for in-person and virtual learning for Starbucks partners, students, researchers, and industry leaders to generate and escalate sustainable solutions for some of the world's most pressing social and environmental challenges, including climate adaption and agricultural economics.
The first wave of educational programming at the lab will begin this fall, targeting selected Arizona State University (ASU) students and Starbucks partners. This initiative will leverage ASU's leading educational technology and world-class faculty to enhance the student experience. This will include study abroad opportunities tied to existing ASU degree programs, such as Sustainability, Sustainable Food Systems, Global Agribusiness, Environmental and Resource Management, among others.
Hacienda Alsacia, Starbucks' only company-owned and operated coffee farm, has been dedicated to the sustainability of coffee for over a decade. The farm has been the epicenter of research and development, creating new coffee varieties, testing disease-resistant coffee trees, and developing and sharing agricultural practices to ensure the future of coffee.
Starbucks' CEO, Laxman Narasimhan, views this as a chance to advance Starbucks' environmental promise to "give more than we take" and to ensure the future of coffee for all. He recognizes that this important work cannot be done alone and envisions limitless opportunities to scale solutions, partner with thought leaders, and serve as a global hub for innovation.
Starbucks, as a company that purchases 3% of the world's highest quality and ethically sourced arabica coffee from over 400,000 farmers across 30 countries, acknowledges its future is tied to social and environmental challenges. The company has a long-standing commitment to work alongside communities to become a resource-positive company, including cutting its carbon, water, and waste footprints in half by 2030.
Starbucks and ASU have a well-established partnership, most recently graduating more than 10,000 partners through the Starbucks College Achievement Program. ASU President Michael Crow expressed his excitement for this new chapter in their nearly decade-long partnership, looking forward to the new sustainability learning and innovation lab. Crow sees this as an opportunity to expand their collaboration, tackling critical challenges with a collective commitment to seek new and sustainable approaches that impact global communities.
About Starbucks: Since 1971, Starbucks Coffee Company has been committed to ethically sourcing and roasting high-quality arabica coffee. With over 35,000 stores worldwide, Starbucks is the premier roaster and retailer of specialty coffee in the world.
About Arizona State University: Arizona State University is committed to access, excellence, and impact, developing a new model for the American Research University. ASU pursues research that contributes to the public good and assumes major responsibility for the economic, social, and cultural vitality of the communities that surround it.
