Starbucks
OVERALL |
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Owned |
USA |
Rating |
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Coffee retailer
The world's #1 specialty coffee retailer, Starbucks has more than 30,000 locations in 78 countries. Most stores are not franchised.
| Starbucks Corporation | USA | website | ||||
Company Assessment
| PRAISE | CRITICISM | INFORMATION | ||
| Starbucks Corporation | ||||
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JUST Capital polls Americans every year to identify the issues that matter most in defining just business behaviour. For their 2023 rankings JUST Capital asked a representative sample of 3,002 Americans to compare 20 different business Issues on a head-to-head basis, producing a reliable hierarchy of Issues ranked in order of priority. Issues are organised under the headings Workers, Customers, Communities, the Environment, or Shareholders & Governance. JUST Capital then define metrics that map to those issues and track and analyse the largest, publicly traded U.S. companies. This analysis powers their rankings, in which this company ranked 46th of 951 companies, and 1st of 36 Restaurants & Leisure companies.
Source: JUST Capital (2023)
In 2022, the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) asked companies to provide data about their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change risk. Responding companies are scored across four key areas: disclosure; awareness; management; and leadership. This company received a CDP Climate Change Score of B.
Source: CDP (2022)
This company is listed on the EPA Green Power Partnership website (USA) as using renewable energy for 100% of its electricity use in its company-owned stores in the USA.
Source: EPA (2023)
This company is listed as having best practice on a report card on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality in corporate America.
Source: Human Rights Campaign (2021)
In 2022, the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) asked companies to provide data about their efforts to manage and govern freshwater resources. Responding companies are scored on six key metrics: transparency; governance & strategy; measuring & monitoring; risk assessment; targets & goals; and value chain engagement. This company received a CDP Water Security Score of B.
Source: CDP (2022) |
The Talking Trash 2020 report by Changing Markets investigates the corporate playbook of false solutions to the plastic crisis. It found that the industry is actively delaying and derailing ambitious action on plastic pollution in its fight to maintain business as usual for as long as possible. For example, this company is signed up to 5 nice-sounding voluntary initiatives to address plastic waste, while also participating in two industry associations which lobby against legislation that could restrict plastic, or make corporations responsible for managing the waste they create, financially or otherwise.
Source: Changing Markets (2020)
In 2021 the Mind the Store campaign ranked 50 of the largest retailers in North America on their efforts to eliminate toxic chemicals from consumer products. This company received a grade of F.
Source: Mind the Store (2021)
In 2019 the median pay for a worker at this company was US$11,489. The CEO was paid 1,675 times this amount. Exorbitant CEO pay is a major contributor to rising inequality. CEOs are getting more because of their power to set pay, not because they are increasing productivity or possess specific, high-demand skills. The economy would suffer no harm if CEOs were paid less (or taxed more). In contrast, the CEO-to-typical-worker compensation ratio was 20-to-1 in 1965 and 58-to-1 in 1989.
Source: AFL-CIO (2020)
In 2019 Break Free From Plastic engaged 72,541 volunteers in 51 countries to conduct 484 brand audits. These volunteers collected 476,423 pieces of plastic waste, 43% of which was marked with a clear consumer brand. While not in the global top 10, this company ranked as North America's third worst plastic polluter.
Source: #breakfreefromplastic (2019)
This company received a score of 17.1/100 (retrieved 10-Oct-2020) in the Corporate Information Transparency Index (CITI), a system for evaluating supply chain practices in China, particularly in regards to environmental management and water pollution. Scores are calculated using government compliance data, online monitoring data, and third-party environmental audits, as well as trends in the environmental performance of factories in the company's supply chains.
Source: IPE (2020)
Forest 500 identifies the 350 companies and 150 financial institutions with the greatest exposure to tropical deforestation risk, and annually assesses them on the strength and implementation of their deforestation and human rights commitments. This company received a score of 30%.
Source: Forest 500 (2022)
In June 2016 Teavana, owned by this company, agreed to pay a US$3.75 million civil penalty to settle allegations that it knowingly failed to report to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, as required by law, that its tea tumblers contained a defect that could create a substantial product hazard or that the tumblers created an unreasonable risk of serious injury.
Source: US CPSC (2016)
The 2022 Corporate Human Rights Benchmark assessed 127 companies in the food and agriculture, ICT and automotive manufacturing sectors on their human rights performance. This company received a score of 15.4%. The overall average score was a disappointing 17.3% and the highest score was 50.3%.
Source: World Benchmarking Alliance (2022)
Be Slavery Free's 2023 Chocolate Scorecard rates all the major chocolate companies on their labour and environmental policies and practices. Companies were asked questions in six areas: traceability and transparency; living income; child labor; deforestation and climate; agroforestry; and agrichemical management. This company received an orange rating: "Needs more work on policy and implementation".
Source: Be Slavery Free (2023)
The Pecking Order is a 2018 report by World Animal Protection which grades global fast food giants against three criteria for chicken welfare: policies, targets and reporting. This company's overall chicken welfare rating is 'very poor'.
Source: World Animal Protection (2018)
Chain Reaction V is a 2019 report released by a group of American advocacy groups which ranks America's top restaurant chains on their policies relating to antibiotic use in their beef supply chains. This company received an 'F' grade.
Source: NRDC (2019)
The 2021 Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare (BBFAW) report ranks global food companies on how they are managing and reporting their farm animal welfare policies and practices. This company appeared in tier 5, "On the business agenda but limited evidence of implementation", with tier 1 being the best, and tier 6 the worst.
Source: BBFAW (2021)
This company scores Ethical Consumer's worst rating for the likely use of tax avoidance strategies, and has at least two high risk subsidiaries in tax havens.
Source: Ethical Consumer (2022) |
A US Court of Appeals panel in Boston upheld a lower court ruling that this company owes Massachusetts baristas more than $14m for violating state laws preventing supervisors from sharing in tips pools. The lawyer representing the baristas who worked at Starbucks between 2005 and 2011, said that interest on the judgement raised the total claim closer to $18m.
Source: The Boston Globe (2012)
Chile's Supreme Court has upheld a fine of US$50,000 on this company over its labour practices after unionised workers claimed the company threatened layoffs, benefit cuts and illegally replaced workers during a strike. Also, Chile's labour department blacklisted local units of Starbucks over their labour practices preventing them from bidding to supply local government offices for 2 years.
Source: Reuters (2012)
In July 2020 this company agreed to settle this suit alleging that it systematically violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act by failing to give job applicants timely notice that consumer credit reports might be used against them in the hiring process. The settlement involved payments ranging from a US$125 gift card to US$840 in cash plus the gift card for each class member. No estimate of the total cost to the company was cited in the court documents. Starbucks also paid US$20,000 to the class representatives and US$1,285,000 for the plaintiffs' legal fees. Starbucks has since made substantial changes to its background screening procedures.
Source: PRWeb (2020)
As You Sow's 2023 report, 'The 100 Most Overpaid CEOs', reveals the 100 most overpaid CEOs from USA's 500 largest public companies (as determined by the S&P 500 list). This company's CEO, Kevin Johnson came in at number 90 on the list, having been paid US$20,425,163 in 2022. According to the report, "Most CEOs have come to be grossly overpaid, and that overpayment is harmful to the companies, the shareholders, the customers, the other employees, the economy, and society as a whole."
Source: As You Sow (2023)
As listed on the We Mean Business website, this company has committed to the following climate action initiatives: adopt a science-based emissions reduction target; commit to 100% renewable power.
Source: We Mean Business (2021)
Compassion in World Farming is a UK-based organisation which works with the European food industry to encourage and reward commitment, transparency, performance and innovation in the field of animal welfare. This company won their Good Egg Award in 2009 in recognition for their decision to only use cage-free eggs in the food produce.
Source: Compassion in World Farming (2009)
In 2012 this company pledged to improve its animal welfare stardards, including pledges to phase out gestation crates for pigs and cages for chickens, eliminate the use of artificial growth hormones, and move away from inhumane chicken slaughter practices.
Source: Humane Society of the US (2014)
This company is a member of the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) Platform, the main food industry initiative supporting the development of sustainable agriculture worldwide. Created by Nestle, Unilever and Danone in 2002, the SAI Platform is a non-profit organization to facilitate sharing, at precompetitive level, of knowledge and initiatives to support the development and implementation of sustainable agriculture practices involving the different stakeholders of the food chain.
Source: SAI Platform (2019)
This company is a member of the World Cocoa Foundation (WCF), an international membership organization representing more than 100 member companies across the cocoa value chain. WCF is committed to creating a sustainable cocoa economy through economic & social development and environmental stewardship in cocoa-growing communities.
Source: World Cocoa Foundation (2019)
This company is a partner of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, whose stated mission is to accelerate the transition to a circular economy. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation works with business, government and academia to build a framework for an economy that is restorative and regenerative by design.
Source: Ellen MacArthur Foundation (2023)
This company has Leading in Sustainability claims on its website under the heading of Planet, providing stories and news of its activities.
Source: company website (2021)
The Ethical Tea Partnership was formed in 1997 when a number of major tea companies committed to working together to improve the social and environmental conditions in their supply chains.
Source: Ethical Tea Partnership (2021)
This company is a member of How2Recycle. The How2Recycle Label is a voluntary, standardized labeling system that clearly communicates recycling instructions to the public. It involves a coalition of forward thinking brands who want their packaging to be recycled and are empowering consumers through smart packaging labels. Companies must be a member of the program to use the How2Recycle Label.
Source: How2Recycle (2023)
As You Sow's 2021 Corporate Plastic Pollution Scorecard ranks companies on plastic packaging pollution. The study measures the progress of 50 large companies in the beverage, quick-service restaurant, consumer packaged goods, and retail sectors on six core pillars where swift action is needed to reduce plastic pollution: 1) Packaging Design, 2) Reusable Packaging, 3) Recycled Content, 4) Public Data Transparency, 5) Support for Recycling, and 6) Producer Responsibility. This company received a grade of C
Source: As You Sow (2021)
In 2022, the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) asked companies to provide data about their efforts towards removing commodity-driven deforestation and forest degradation from its direct operations and supply chains. Responding companies are scored across four key areas: disclosure; awareness; management; and leadership. This company received a CDP Forests Score of C-.
Source: CDP (2022)
As a result of campaigning by the Organic Consumer Association, in 2007 Starbucks stopped using rBGH-laced milk in its products in USA. In 2009 Starbucks doubled its purchases of Fair Trade Certified coffee to 40 million pounds, making the company the largest purchaser of Fair Trade Certified coffee in the world.
Source: Organic Consumer Association (2009)
California, the UK and Australia have all enacted legislation requiring companies operating within their borders to disclose their efforts to eradicate modern slavery from their operations and supply chains. Follow the link to see this company's disclosure statement.
Source: company website (2016)
This company received a score of 59.3/100 in the Newsweek Green Ranking 2017, which ranks the world's largest publicly traded companies on eight indicators covering energy, greenhouse gases, water, waste, fines and penalties, linking executive pay to sustainability targets, board-level committee oversight of environmental issues and third-party audits. Ranking methodology by Corporate Knights and HIP Investor.
Source: Newsweek (2017)
OpenSecrets.org tracks the influence of money on U.S. politics, and how that money affects policy and citizens' lives. Follow link to see this company's record of political donations, lobbying, outside spending and more.
Source: Open Secrets (2020)
The 2021 Food and Agriculture Benchmark assessed 350 keystone companies across the entirety of the food system, from farm to fork. It covers three dimensions where transformation is needed: nutrition, environment and social inclusion. This company ranked #96/350, with a total score of 28.5/100.
Source: World Benchmarking Alliance (2021)
This company received an S&P Global ESG Score of 41/100 in the Restaurants & Leisure Facilities category of the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment, an annual evaluation of companies' sustainability practices (last updated 18 Nov 2022). The rankings are based on an analysis of corporate economic, environmental and social performance, assessing issues such as corporate governance, risk management, environmental reporting, climate strategy, human rights and labour practices.
Source: S&P Global (2022) |
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Company Details
| Type | Public company |
| Revenue | 24.7 billion USD (2018) |
| Employees | 291,000 (2018) |
Contact Details
| Address | Seattle, Washington, USA |
| Website | www.starbucks.com |