Starbucks unveils bold vision for China Coffee Innovation Park

The coffee chain operates six other roasting plants—one in Amsterdam to support European markets and five in the US.

When completed, the park will be one of the most sustainable manufacturing facilities for Starbucks globally, with its design based on guidelines from the US Green Building Council's LEED standards, as well as China's Three Star Green Building standards for carbon emissions, energy use and waste.

Energy-efficient roasting technology at the park will reduce carbon emissions by over 30 percent compared to Starbucks conventional roasting technology.

The park also will feature cutting-edge technologies that maximize manufacturing productivity, including smart manufacturing technologies that will enable advanced data collection and analysis, including predictive maintenance.

Its integrated distribution center will incorporate a fully-automated storage and retrieval system, which is designed to take up four times less space compared to conventional storage systems.

Last year, Starbucks eliminated plastic straws from all of its stores on the Chinese mainland, saving about 200 tons of plastic waste annually. In April, the company launched a new plant-based food and beverage menu as part of its efforts to inspire Chinese customers to explore new lifestyles with the planet in mind.

The facility is the latest of Starbucks investments in building the different pillars of the specialty coffee industry since entering the Chinese mainland market in 1999.

Starbucks now operates over 4,700 stores across more than 190 cities in the market, where a new Starbucks store opens every 15 hours.