AI-for-energy firm Univers and Starbucks China have partnered to accelerate sustainability across the coffee chain’s value chain through the deployment of Univers’ advanced artificial intelligence ( AI ) and internet-of-things ( IoT ) decarbonization solutions.

The collaboration will enable Starbucks to digitally monitor, measure and reduce Scope 3 emissions across its supplier network.

This visibility will allow the company to drive actionable emissions reductions, support its suppliers in their own low-carbon transitions and strengthen compliance with evolving climate regulations.

The coffee chain is not only making their stores greener, but also more intelligent. More than 7,500 of its stores are now connected to a new AI and IoT platform jointly developed by Univers and Starbucks. This will enable real-time and remote monitoring of over eight types of equipment per store, including HVAC ( heating, ventilation and air conditioning ), lighting and water filtration, optimizing energy use with AI-driven insights and enhancing partner and customer experience.

Leveraging Univers’ EnOSTM Ark Carbon Management System, the two companies will develop a supply chain carbon management platform used to track carbon emissions across core suppliers and products, including, but not limited, to milk, beverages, food and packaging.

Milk, the single largest carbon emitter in Starbucks value chain, is a major contributor to Scope 3 emissions. As a response, the companies developed a sustainable dairy digital management tool to enable comprehensive carbon baseline tracking, decarbonization planning and implementation of pilot farm solutions.

With Univers’ global innovative research and development capabilities in AI and IoT, Starbucks can now meet its future business expansion needs with the next-generation edge computing intelligent device One-Box, which integrates computing power and hardware management across five local application scenarios from point-of-sale systems to smart store control terminals.

By embedding Univers’ EnOSTM Ark Carbon Management platform into its broader sustainability strategy, Starbucks is taking a major step toward future proofing its energy transition journey – combining technology, data and cross-sector collaboration to set new standards for decarbonization in the food and beverage retail industry.