Starbucks employee questions company’s move to release NFTs

An employee at Starbucks has questioned the top executives’ decision to allow non-fungible tokens (NFTs). An employee named Mark, who has worked at Starbucks for many years, has said that NFTs and the entire blockchain space were detrimental to the environment.

Starbucks employee questions company’s NFT plans

Starbucks recently announced its plans to venture into Web3 during its release for the quarterly earnings call. To this effect, the Chief Marketing Officer at Starbucks, Brady Brewer, held a company presentation discussing the benefits of NFT adoption.

A statement released by Starbucks says that the company intends to release “a series of branded NFT collections.” The NFT collection will create “a new model of what it means to be connected to the Starbucks community.”

However, despite the company seeing potential upsides in having NFTs in its businesses, Mark seems to defer. In a Q&A session with top executives, Mark addressed the negative effects caused by NFTs on the environment.

“Blockchain, whether it’s proof of stake or proof of work, is not planet positive… it is going to destroy the planet… and it makes me, as a technologist, and I’m not the only one, very worried about that, that this company would go in that direction. I don’t want to feel this way about Starbucks,” Mark said.

Mark also said that NFTs were exclusive and not as inclusive as was advertised. However, Brewer responded to the audience, saying that NFTs and the Web3 concept were still in their early stages. “The world will somehow come to terms with what this platform is,” Brewer said.

Brewer further compared the move by Starbucks to venture into NFTs to the company’s previous plans for having a digital-savvy future. Some of the tactics taken by Starbucks to promote digital inclusion include installing Wi-Fi in its stores, supporting mobile payments and allowing customers to create mobile orders.

Brewer also added that the company would focus on promoting sustainability with its NFT Plans. He said that the company was committed to creating NFTs in an environmental-friendly manner that would not jeopardize the company’s plans for sustainability.

NFT effects on the environment

The potential adverse effects of NFTs on the environment have created debate across various industries. In the gaming sector, players have rejected NFTs, citing that they can damage the environment.

However, this has not always been the case because some blockchains are working towards being sustainable and supporting NFTs that will be environmental-friendly. Recently, Australia Zoo announced that it would launch an NFT collection. The zoo announced that the NFT would be minted on the Algorand blockchain as it was environmentally friendly.

Ethereum is currently the largest blockchain for NFTs. Ethereum currently runs on a proof-of-work consensus that is highly energy-intensive. However, the network is planning to shift to a proof-of-stake consensus soon that could benefit the NFTs being minted on the chain and ensure they are not created in a way that harms the environment.