A message from Starbucks ceo Kevin Johnson: Our 2020 impact

Each year since 2001, Starbucks has reported on its efforts to make a positive impact in the communities it serves. Starbucks ceo Kevin Johnson reflects on our 2020 impact and shares the company’s progress for global initiatives in people, planet and coffee.

Dear Starbucks partners, customers and stakeholders:

As a company grounded in a mission to inspire and nurture the human spirit, Starbucks has always looked to make positive connections and impact on people and communities around the world. So, 20 years ago, we made a commitment to report transparently and regularly about our efforts to improve economic conditions for coffee farmers, minimize our environmental footprint, make positive contributions to the communities we serve, and create a culture of inclusion, belonging and opportunity for all Starbucks partners (employees). 

In this FY20 report, you’ll see that even through a historic global pandemic, we remained steadfast in our commitment to people and to the planet. Our goal to make a positive impact on the lives of partners and customers and to give more than we take from the planet is central to the work we do. I’m tremendously proud of all Starbucks partners who prioritized the health and safety of people and showed up for their communities as we navigated COVID-19 together.

Accordingly, you will see that we have added additional rigor to this work by providing data consistent with the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) reporting standards. 

While this report covers the progress we made in FY20, our key areas of focus continue in FY21. Most recently, our partners have seen a substantial wage increase; our renewable energy investments are benefitting our stores and the communities around them; we have set new inclusion and diversity goals and commitments; we committed to invest ^$100 million to support small businesses and community development projects in Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) neighborhoods; we added another ^$50 million to our global coffee farmer fund; and we’re doing more each day.

We have a unique opportunity at Starbucks to use our reach and scale to create a better society in many ways, big and small. I have immense gratitude and pride for all Starbucks partners who have worked together through this historic time in service of their communities, creating a third place where we can all find community, acceptance and a sense of belonging.

Now, meeting the ambitious targets set out in this report will take time … and Starbucks is wholeheartedly committed to these environmental and social goals for the long term. They are core to our mission, they are core to our business and they are core to who we are as Starbucks partners. 

Kevin Johnson
president and ceo

Supporting documents and data tables for the 2020 Report, including the Impact Summary Scorecard, Planet Positive Performance and Sustainability Accounting Standards Board Reporting, can be found here.