The negative effects caused by Washington based companies, Starbucks and Amazon

Written By: Wednesday Satterlee

Seattle has become an entrepreneurial hub in recent years and the massive companies located here to bring in jobs, commerce, and innovation. However, this comes at an environmental price. 

When you think of Seattle, you probably think of Starbucks. Founded in 1971 on the streets of Pike Place Market, Starbucks has become one of the largest coffee companies in the world. In turn, their carbon footprint reflects the size of their company. 

  • In 2018, Starbucks was responsible for emitting 16 million metric tons of greenhouse gases

  • Using 1 billion cubic meters of water 

  • And dumping 868 metric kilotons—more than twice the weight of the Empire State Building—of coffee cups and other waste.

In March 2021, Starbucks announced goals to become ‘resource positive’. These goals included achieving carbon-neutral green coffee and conserving water usage in green coffee processing by 50%. Much of this plan centers around the origin of Starbucks coffee, by 

  • Decreasing carbon emissions in Starbucks supply chain by equipping farmers with precision agronomy tools.

  • Promoting and distributing climate-resistant tree varietals.

  • Protecting and restoring at-risk forests in key coffee landscapes. 

While this plan is a great step towards introducing environmental consciousness into the commercial business sphere, dairy products are the biggest source of carbon dioxide emissions across the coffee giant’s operations and supply chain. Meaning, Starbucks’ product outside of the coffee bean needs to be shifted. 

Amazon, one of the largest e-commerce companies in the world, was only founded in Bellevue WA in 1994. Due to the massive amount of merchandise they transport every day, their carbon footprint is enormous. 

  • In 2018, Amazon emitted 44.4 million metric tons of carbon dioxide

  • The cost of materials to produce a product and ship it with 1-day shipping is a knife in our natural resources.

  • 3rd party fashion retailers on amazon produce 20 percent of global wastewater and 10% of global carbon emissions, more than all international flights and maritime shipping, 

These effects are damaging our environment more and more every day as the demand for fast-shipped merchandise rises. But Amazon has also made efforts to improve its climate footprint. 

  • It is innovating and investing to be net-zero carbon by 2040 and run on 100% renewable energy by 2030.

  • They have purchased 100,000 fully electric delivery vehicles

  • Made a $100 million investment in nature-based climate solutions and reforestation projects

  • Amazon has also noted that the company collaborates with manufacturers to improve packaging and cut waste, which has reduced packaging weight by 27% and eliminated more than 810,000 tons of packaging material since 2008.

These efforts should not be overlooked but there is still far to come in terms of a green earth. We as consumers need to be mindful of where and what we are buying if we want to do our part to improve sustainability. Advocacy for the environment is what drives companies to improve their footprint!

Sources:

The Tomorrow Project