Starbucks Challenges 100% Coffee Grounds Recycling Rate by 2027

Plans for Various Upcycling Projects Including MD Product Production Upon Completion of Circular Resource Certification Within the Year
Recycling Rate of 73% Over the Past 7 Years Since 2015... Total Weight Reaches 31,000 Tons

Starbucks donated 233 tons of eco-friendly coffee grounds compost to Hallabong citrus orchards in Jeju Island in November last year.

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Hyewon] Starbucks Korea announced on the 11th that it will designate this year, when coffee grounds are recognized as a circular resource, as the first year of coffee grounds upcycling, and will further strengthen sustainable management by gradually increasing the recycling rate of coffee grounds to 100% by 2027.

According to Starbucks, coffee grounds have been treated as household waste and generally had to be disposed of in volume-based waste bags, with many restrictions on recycling. However, since March 15 of this year, coffee grounds have been recognized as a circular resource, creating opportunities for various uses.

Coffee grounds are rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, which are necessary for plant growth, and contain no heavy metals, so they can prevent pests and diseases and serve as a natural fertilizer with a high organic content. Agricultural products grown with eco-friendly coffee grounds compost are used as raw materials for food products and are sold again at Starbucks stores.

Starbucks is conducting a recycling environmental assessment on coffee grounds discharged from stores nationwide. If the assessment is passed, through circular resource certification, Starbucks plans to raise the recycling rate to 100% within the next five years and expand the scope of coffee grounds utilization, which has been limited to coffee compost and the like.

First, within this year, Starbucks plans to introduce various merchandise (MD) products made by recycling coffee grounds. Additionally, through various collaborations, Starbucks will increase the upcycling rate that adds new value such as biofuel and building materials, while carrying out eco-friendly campaigns to provide various benefits to customers and local communities.

Since 2015, Starbucks has recycled 31,000 tons of coffee grounds over more than seven years, with a recycling rate of 73% compared to the total amount of coffee grounds discharged. Since signing a cooperation agreement with Gyeonggi-do in 2015 to promote agricultural product consumption and resource recycling, Starbucks has been donating eco-friendly coffee compost to farms in Gyeonggi-do, Boseong, Hadong, and Jeju-do. To date, a total of 211,500 bags have been donated, which amounts to 4,230 tons in weight.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.