Global Human Rights Statement

Our global commitment to fundamental human rights as a core component of the way we do business and how we engage our partners (employees), our business partners, and our customers and communities.

Message from Kevin Johnson

At Starbucks, we’ve always been about more than just the coffee. We are about humanity. It is a fundamental belief at the heart of Our Mission: to inspire and nurture the human spirit — one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.

It is not only a business imperative, but it is our responsibility to create a culture of warmth and inclusion where everyone is welcome, respected and valued. This Global Human Rights Statement is a demonstration of that commitment to have a positive impact on the lives of all the people we touch — from the fields where our coffee is grown, to the local communities we serve and the planet that we all share.

With great appreciation,

Kevin Johnson
president and chief executive officer
member of Starbucks Board of Directors


Standards and Governance

We respect the human rights of individuals and communities impacted by  our operations and products, and we commit to respect the principles of the: UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights; UN Global Compact; OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises; International Bill of Rights; ILO Core Labor Standards; Women’s Empowerment Principles; Children’s Rights and Business Principles, and Framework Principles on Human Rights and the Environment.

At Starbucks, each of us is entrusted to make decisions that impact our relationships with each other, our customers, our Business Partners and our communities. This Global Human Rights Statement is applicable to all Starbucks Partners, and we extend the expectations detailed in this statement to suppliers throughout our Supply Chain. We are also committed to working with our Business Partners to meet the expectations detailed in this statement in every market we serve.

It is one of Starbucks core values that we deliver our very best in everything we do, including holding ourselves accountable for results. Business units throughout the organization have oversight for compliance with various aspects of our Global Human Rights Statement and practices and report their results to a centralized system managed by the Ethics and Compliance business unit.

Starbucks Audit and Compliance Committee, a committee of Starbucks Board of Directors, oversees the Company's enterprise risk management practices, internal and external audit process and the system of internal controls. The Audit and Compliance Committee receives updates from management and the internal auditor on enterprise risk management practices and internal audits which may include the operation of our ethical sourcing programs and standards that support our Global Human Rights Statement.

Our company’s pursuit of good is an ongoing effort. Aligned with this belief,  we are committed to ongoing human rights due diligence and assessing and reporting our continuous improvement transparently through publicly available documents, such as our Global Social Impact Reports, our Civil Rights Assessments and our Environmental Impact Analysis.

Definitions

For the purposes of this policy, we use the following definitions:

  • Partners: Employees of Starbucks or its wholly-owned subsidiaries (direct or through intermediate subsidiaries). This includes employees of Starbucks company-operated retail stores; global and regional support centers;  roasting plants, company-operated distribution centers; juicery; our company-operated coffee farm; and any other owned operations.
  • Supply Chain: First-tier, third-party suppliers from which a product or service is purchased.
  • Business Partner: Third-party businesses with whom Starbucks has a licensing and/or distribution relationship, including independent operators of Starbucks-branded retail stores, joint venture partners and contracted distributors of Starbucks-branded products and advertisements.

Our Partners

Starbucks respects the inherent dignity of all persons and seeks to enable Partners to do their best work by embracing and valuing the unique combination of talents, experiences and perspectives of each partner.

 Our commitment to respect the human and civil rights of our Partners applies across the world — whether in our Starbucks Support Center (i.e., headquarters) or in Starbucks company-operated retail stores. This commitment is communicated with and embedded in our training materials and manuals and Starbucks Standards of Business Conduct.

We adhere to ILO Core Labor Standards, including the rights to non-discrimination, equal pay for equal work, freedom of association, participation in collective bargaining and just and favorable conditions of work, such as ensuring the health and safety of our Partners.

We respect our Partners’ right to privacy, which is outlined in our Privacy Statement. Our approach to privacy and data protection is governed by the recognized principles of data minimization, limited collection and limited use, among other key areas. Our Privacy Statement describes what information we collect, how we use it, how and when it may be shared, and the rights and choices Partners have with respect to their personal information.

All Partners are responsible for supporting human rights in the work environment, which includes understanding Starbucks Global Human Rights Statement concerning fundamental human rights and upholding the provisions of these rights in the workplace. We also expect our Partners to raise awareness of any behaviors or business situations involving Starbucks that may compromise the company’s values around the provision of fundamental human rights and report potential violations of Starbucks Global Human Rights Statement.

Our Customers and Communities

We are dedicated to creating a culture of warmth and belonging, where everyone is welcome. We respect our customers’ human and civil rights and seek to ensure their experience at Starbucks reflects our values.

Our commitment to all customers is posted in our stores and online via the Third Place Policy, and this commitment includes respect for our customers’ right to non-discrimination.

Our customers’ right to privacy is governed by our Global Privacy Principles, which is outlined in our Privacy Statement. Our approach to privacy and data protection is governed by the recognized principles of data minimization, limited collection and limited use, among other key areas. Our Privacy Statement describes what information we collect, how we use it, how and when it may be shared, and the rights and choices customers have with respect to their personal information.

We are also committed to serving our communities, including people with disabilities. Our dedication to accessibility can be found in the Starbucks Commitment to Access and Disability Inclusion.

Our Supply Chain

Our ethical sourcing programs integrate respect for human rights throughout our Supply Chain, addressing rights such as: the right to non-discrimination; the right to be free from forced and child labor; the right to association; and the right to just and favorable working conditions, including ensuring the health and safety of workers. As part of our commitment, we respect the rights of vulnerable groups, such as women, migrant, seasonal and temporary workers, as well as the rights of indigenous communities. We are also committed to pursuing sustainable livelihoods within our Supply Chain to achieve a decent standard of living.

We require all of our suppliers to pledge compliance with our Supplier Code of Conduct, and we work to integrate our human rights commitment throughout our ethical sourcing programs and standards, which include: C.A.F.E. Practices; Third party certifications for tea, including Rainforest Alliance; Cocoa Practices; Manufactured Goods and Services Standards; and Conflict Minerals Policy Statement. Our C.A.F.E. Practices includes terms and conditions for verifying ethically sourced coffee, including how we remediate zero tolerance instances; operating standards and guidelines for third-party verifiers; and a commitment to third-party impact assessments and reporting. In addition to our Supply Chain, these same ethical sourcing programs and standards apply to our company-operated farm, roasting plants, distribution centers and juicery.

In line with our value to hold ourselves accountable for results, we engage in third-party assessments of our Supply Chain. When we identify suppliers that have not met our ethical sourcing standards, it is our philosophy of transparency, continuous improvement and shared responsibility to work with those suppliers to develop corrective action plans and implement these plans based on a mutually agreed schedule toward resolution. We also pursue certifications where appropriate, such as for palm oil and conflict minerals.

We believe our future and our ability to have healthy communities and meaningful space for connection depends on preserving the environment around us. To be planet positive is to be people positive: it’s our ambition to advance environmental justice by aligning our sustainability commitment with our human rights commitment. We recognize and are committed to respecting the rights to land, water and natural resources. One way we are doing this is to work with farmers to conserve water used for coffee processing, protect rivers and streams and ensure workers have access to clean drinking water.

We respect the crucial work done by Human Rights Defenders who work individually or with others to promote or protect human rights. We value their input, as we value the input of all of our stakeholders, and we neither tolerate nor contribute to threats, intimidation and attacks against Human Rights Defenders. We expect our Supply Chain to act accordingly as well.

Our Business Partners

We strive to work with Business Partners that both share and reflect Our Mission and Values. We choose Business Partners who conduct business in a responsible and ethical manner, respect the rights of individuals and help protect the environment and the people impacted by their business actions. As part of ongoing due diligence, our Global Security and Resilience team routinely evaluates potential human rights risks in the regions where our Business Partners operate.

In support of increasing our collective impact, we make our Global Human Rights Statement available to Business Partners. We expect them to have shared expectations of what is detailed in this statement and adopt similar polices and commitments of their own, including participating in effective, operational-level grievance mechanisms for the individuals and communities who may be adversely impacted. Starbucks is also committed to working with our Business Partners to meet the expectations detailed in this statement in every market we serve.

Responding to Grievances

We are committed to providing safe, confidential and accessible grievance channels to all individuals impacted by our operations and products. Starbucks does not tolerate retaliation against or the victimization of anyone who raises concerns or questions regarding a potential violation of our Global Human Rights Statement.

We are committed to providing remedy in cases where we may have caused or contributed to an adverse human rights impact across our value chain. As part of this commitment, we will not obstruct access to other remedies and we will work with our Supply Chain and Business Partners to remedy adverse impacts that we are directly linked to. In line with our value of continuous improvement, Starbucks is committed to incorporating the lessons we learn from instances where we may have caused or contributed to harm and communicating the changes we introduce to prevent repeating harms.

Our Ethics and Compliance Helpline, which can be accessed anytime online or  by phone, is a resource to ask questions or raise concerns. Available in multiple languages, and accessible locally in many geographies, Partners or individuals that experience or see conduct that is inconsistent with our Global Human Rights Statement may use our Ethics and Compliance Helpline to raise concerns. Reported concerns specifically related to human rights are escalated to the appropriate team at Starbucks.