CSR Spotlight on Starbucks!

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By Michelle Lizak, CMP

Since its creation in 1971, Starbucks has been committed to promoting a socially responsible work environment and culture. The discussions started out with how they would treat coffee farmers respectively, how they would help them achieve success while ensuring Starbucks future. Starbucks wanted to create a corporate culture with a great working environment, where each employee would feel valued and respected.

It is this forward-thinking and compassion for its employees and partners that has put Starbucks on the forefront of the CSR movement.

So this month, the CSR Spotlight is shining bright on the Starbucks Corporation!

Background on Starbucks

• Number of Company-owned stores worldwide: 8,883
• Number of Franchise/Joint venture stores worldwide: 6,873
• Total worldwide production of coffee (October 2006 - September 2007): 16 billion pounds
• Total coffee purchased by Starbucks (October 2006 - September 2007): 352 million pounds
• Number of coffee farmers worldwide: 25 million
• Number of countries where coffee is grown: 60 countries
• Number of countries where Starbucks bought coffee in 2007: 25 countries

Starbucks uses the following framework to measure their corporate social responsibility successes:   Coffee, Community and Environment. All information contained in the article below can be found in Starbucks, Highlights from Starbucks Fiscal 2007 Corporate Social Responsibility Annual Report.

Coffee - Promoting Ethical Sourcing

"That great cup of Starbucks coffee you enjoy each morning is the end result of Starbucks' efforts to help farmers grow better coffee, improve their annual yield and enrich their quality of life." (Starbucks, Highlights from Starbucks Fiscal 2007 Corporate Social Responsibility Annual Report)

• Starbucks promotes ethical sourcing by making sure that 65 percent of their purchased coffee comes from C.A.F.E Practices (approved suppliers who meet rigorous quality, transparency and environmental standards).
• For three years, Starbucks has remained the largest purchaser of coffee in North America and the largest distributor of Fair Trade Certified coffees.
• Starbucks helps to fund projects to benefit coffee-growing communities.
• Working to lay the groundwork in Rwanda and Ethiopia for two new Farmer Support Centers.

Community - Contributing to our Communities

• Starbucks provided cash and in-kind contributions valued at $18 million or 1.7 pre-tax earnings.
• Starbucks Foundation funded education initiatives in China and provided grants to support youth social entrepreneurial projects in local communities.
• Continued their multi-million dollar commitment to support a variety of clean-water initiatives in Kenya, Ethiopia, Indonesia and India.

Environment - Reducing our Environmental Footprint

• Ten-percent post-consumer recycled filter paper cups help conserve enough energy to supply 900 homes for a year and saved approximately 110,000 trees.
• Starbucks purchased enough renewable energy to represent 20 percent of the energy used in the U.S. and Canadian company-owned stores.
• The U.S EPA recognized Starbucks' conservation efforts with a Green Power Partner of the Year Award.
• Starbucks also has an ongoing, in-depth strategy to launch a new comprehensive "green" retail store in 2008.

To read about the rest of Starbucks efforts in the workplace and to celebrate diversity please visit:  http://www.starbucks.com/aboutus/csr.asp

References for this article:

http://www.starbucks.com/aboutus/Company_Factsheet.pdf

http://www.starbucks.com/aboutus/csr.asp

Starbucks, Highlights from Starbucks Fiscal 2007 Corporate Social Responsibility Annual Report