Dive Brief:
Starbucks and Arizona State University will open a new research and innovation facility, called the ASU-Starbucks Center for the Future of the People and the Planet, in December 2021 on ASU s campus in Tempe, Arizona, according to a press release.
The lab will leverage ASU s applied research and on-campus test stores to continue reimagining customer experiences both in-store and through more personalized digital relationships, Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson said in the release. The center s year-one goals include building out and open sourcing Starbucks Greener Stores program and exploring alternative menu items, including plant-based offerings.
Starbucks has tested ideas that support sustainability in individual stores and markets, including a Seattle location with a 100% plant-based menu and an energy-efficient modular store in Canada, but this dedicated lab will enable the company to scale new concepts more quickly and further the company s goals to reduce gre