This page shows data from our 2019 Report. For the most up-to-date goals and progress, see our <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2022/starbucks-global-environmental-and-social-impact-report-2021/">2021 Global Environmental &amp; Social Impact Report</a>.

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Expanding on our <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/starbucks-sustainability-timeline/">history in sustainability</a> and progress in building a more sustainable <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2019/building-a-sustainable-future-for-coffee-together/">future for coffee</a>, we announced in January of 2020 a multi-decade aspiration to be a <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/starbucks-announces-multi-decade-aspiration-to-become-resource-positive/">resource-positive company</a>,&nbsp;giving more than it takes from the planet. The announcement included science-based preliminary <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/infographic-starbucks-sustainability-commitment/">target reductions</a> of carbon, water and waste&nbsp;by 2030. Informed by an <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/uploads/2020/01/Starbucks-Environmental-Baseline-Report.pdf">environmental baseline report</a> it&nbsp;outlined five strategies to move forward, such as shifting away from single-use to reusable packaging, and finding better ways to manage our waste. We’ll share new commitments in the spring of 2021 as we celebrate Starbucks 50th anniversary.

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Goal: 100% ethically sourced coffee For the fifth year in a row in FY19, more than 99% of our coffee was verified as ethically sourced under <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2020/cafe-practices-starbucks-approach-to-ethically-sourcing-coffee/">C.A.F.E. Practices</a>. Although we are constantly striving for 100%, the last 1% is where some of our most important work happens, bringing on new farmers and cooperatives to help ensure the long-term future of coffee. We continue to work as part of the <a href="https://www.sustaincoffee.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sustainable Coffee Challenge</a> to make coffee the world’s first sustainable agricultural product and improve the lives of at least one million people in coffee communities around the world.

Goal: Provide <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2017/starbucks-100million-coffee-trees/">100 million coffee trees</a> to farmers by 2025 Starbucks has donated coffee trees over the past four years to farmers in Mexico, Guatemala and El Salvador. These climate-resilient trees replace ones that are declining in productivity due to age and disease, such as coffee leaf rust, and help improve the quality and yields of their harvests. As of June 2020, the next 10 million are being distributed, with close monitoring of potential complications related to COVID-19.

Goal: 100% ethically sourced tea We continue to work toward our goal of 100% ethically sourced tea, making significant progress from 95% in FY18 to 99% in FY19 by sourcing tea from farms that have been certified through Rainforest Alliance, UTZ, or Fair Trade. *As purchased by Starbucks global tea sourcing team.

Goal: Train 200,000 farmers by the end of 2020 Our Global Agronomy Center and Farmer Support Center at <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/this-earth-day-meet-some-of-the-people-working-to-make-coffee-sustainable/">Hacienda Alsacia</a> in Costa Rica and our eight other Farmer Support Centers around the world provide open-source training and other resources to coffee farmers. In FY19 alone, we trained nearly 88,000 farmers.

$46 million invested in farmer loans; $20 million in FY19 emergency relief funds

Goal: Invest $50 million in farmer loans by the end of 2020 As of June 2020, we have invested more than $49 million in the Starbucks <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2015/starbucks-more-than-doubles-global-farmer-loan-commitment/">Global Farmer Fund</a> to support farmers. This comes in addition to relief funds, such as the $20 million we dispersed in FY19 to many of our smallholder farmers in Central America who experienced the effects of low global coffee prices.

Goal: Empower at least 250,000 women and families in coffee, tea and cocoa growing communities globally by 2025 Through 18 grants totaling more than $5 million since 2018, The Starbucks Foundation is <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2019/the-starbucks-foundations-origin-grants-to-empower-women-and-girls/">supporting women and families</a> in coffee- and tea-growing communities across Africa, Asia and Latin America in many ways, including leadership skills, income-generating activities and healthier homes.

12 major cities recycling Starbucks cups; trialing of new cup technologies

Goal: Double the recyclability of our cups from 2016-2022; develop 100% compostable and recyclable hot cups by 2022 In 2016, 24% of Starbucks stores in the U.S. and Canada accepted our hot cups for recycling; in 2019, this number increased to 25%. Work accelerated in 2019, as the NextGen Consortium, of which Starbucks is a co-founder, identified 12 winning <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2019/closed-loop-partners-announces-12-winners-of-the-nextgen-cup-challenge/">cup technologies</a> of the NextGen Cup Challenge. In-store <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/starbucks-trials-a-nextgen-cup-solution/">market testing began</a> in the spring of 2020 with a cup that is industrially compostable as well as recyclable in markets that accept hot cups. We continue to research and test cup liner solutions that will make our cup easier to recycle and compost, while also working with the Consortium to improve recycling and composting infrastructure. In Europe, Starbucks launched a £1 million <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/emea/stories/2019/uk-cup-fund-boosts-recycling-by-35-million-paper-cups-per-year/">Cup Fund</a>&nbsp;supporting ambitious recycling projects in conjunction with the environmental charity Hubbub.&nbsp;

Starbucks cups currently are accepted for recycling in Amsterdam; Boston; Chattanooga; Dallas; Denver; London; Louisville; New York; San Francisco; Seattle; Vancouver; Washington, DC; and many smaller cities.

Goal: 20% recycled content in our hot cups by 2022 Starbucks hot cups currently contain 10% post-consumer fiber (PCF), and we are working to double the recycled content to 20% as well as reduce the environmental impacts of sourcing virgin wood paper fiber we source.

2.8% reusability rate in measured markets

Goal: Double the use of reusable cups from 2016-2022 In 2019 we implemented new ways to track reusable cup usage, and we tracked a 2.8% reusability rate in company-operated stores in the U.S., Canada, Japan, and EMEA. This meant that customers received a discount for bringing their own cup or used a ceramic mug offered in store, saving more than 105 million disposable cups. China is not yet included in this metric, with a tracking program now in development there. In Europe, Starbucks conducted the first ever&nbsp;<a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2019/starbucks-uk-launches-first-ever-airport-reusable-cup-trial-at-gatwick-airport-in-london/">airport reusable cup trial</a>&nbsp;at London’s Gatwick Airport.&nbsp;

We continue to conduct research and evolve our strategy to encourage customer adoption of reusables.

Continued rollout of strawless lids and sustainable material straws

Goal: Eliminate single-use plastic straws globally by the end of 2020 In 2019 Starbucks continued the expansion of <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2019/say-hello-to-the-lid-that-will-replace-a-billion-straws-a-year/">lightweight strawless lids</a> for cold beverages, as well as rollout of alternative material straws. By the end of calendar year 2020, we anticipate that all company-owned stores and the majority of licensees will have eliminated single-use plastic straws. However, regulatory and manufacturing challenges in light of COVID-19 threaten the ability to fully roll out a new sustainable material straw in the U.S. and Canada by the end of 2020, with a new anticipated goal date of spring 2021. Starbucks will continue to provide straws to customers who <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2018/follow-up-to-starbucks-sustainability-news/">need or request them</a> in our stores.

741 stores globally that reflect the Greener Stores framework

Goal: Build and operate 10,000 greener stores globally by 2025 Starbucks has built more than 1,600 LEED®-certified stores around the world, and in early FY20, the <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/asia/stories/2019/starbucks-reserve-roastery-shanghai-celebrates-leed-platinum-achievement/">Shanghai Roastery</a>&nbsp;set a new benchmark in green retail as the first in mainland China’s food retail industry to be certified LEED Platinum. Now in partnership with the World Wildlife Fund and in collaboration with other nongovernmental organizations, we’re going beyond LEED, expanding the scope and breadth of our greener stores commitment with an open-source <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2018/starbucks-announces-global-greener-stores-commitment/">Greener Stores framework</a> for design, construction and operation.

Goal: Empower 10,000 partners to be sustainability champions by the end of 2020 In FY19, we surpassed our goal and as of April 2020 have more than 26,000 Starbucks partners enrolled in the Greener Apron sustainability training program through <a href="https://www.starbucksglobalacademy.com/greener-apron" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Starbucks Global Academy</a>.

72% of global operations powered by renewable energy

Goal: Invest in 100% renewable energy to power global operations globally by the end of 2020 Starbucks purchases enough renewable energy to power 100% of its company-operated stores in the U.S., Canada and the UK. Worldwide in FY19, 72% of Starbucks operations were powered by renewables. This is down from 77% in FY18, driven in part by&nbsp;a transition away from company-owned renewable energy-powered markets in EMEA, as well as an increase in stores in markets where Starbucks is still building a path toward renewable energy, such as China and Japan.

As we work to buy more renewable energy, we also continue to invest in solar and wind farms, with 2019 highlights being investments in a large&nbsp;<a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2018/solar-and-wind-power-fuel-starbucks-store/">wind farm</a>&nbsp;in Illinois and&nbsp;<a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2019/starbucks-and-cypress-creek-solar-farms-team-up-to-power-360-stores-in-texas/">solar farms</a>&nbsp;in Texas.

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2019 Report: Leading in Sustainability - Starbucks Stories

Stories to inspire and nurture the human spirit

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Starbucks 2019 Global Social Impact Report: Leading in Sustainability goals and progress.

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2019 Report: Leading in Sustainability

Remedios Fernàndez stands high on the slopes of her coffee farm in Mexico’s Veracruz mountains, with the red-tiled patchwork of the city of Huatusco sprawling in the valley below. For more than a century, coffee trees have grown in these verdant hills. It’s a source of pride for residents – but even more important, it remains a critical piece of the economy for thousands of coffee farmers despite a global trend toward urbanization.

“For me, coffee is sustaining. It is our lifestyle, our way of work,” said Fernàndez. “Everyone prefers to leave the countryside and go to the city. They leave coffee behind.”

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For farmers like Fernàndez, building a long-term future in coffee means navigating the winds of economic, geographic and environmental forces year in, year out. When those gusts suddenly shift, it can compromise everything from earning a living to the future of the farm itself.&nbsp;

Coffee, like any crop, is sensitive to price fluctuations owing to a variety of factors, most of which are beyond the control of farmers. When global coffee prices plummeted in late 2018, smallholder farmers in Central America were among the hardest hit by the drop. In some cases, the price they could get for their crop fell below the cost of production.&nbsp;

In response, Starbucks committed to<a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2018/starbucks-commits-20-million-for-emergency-relief-to-farmers/"> $20 million in emergency relief funds</a> to smallholder farmers in Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador and Mexico. The funds are now augmenting the income they received for their harvest and help increase their stability. After weathering the latest downturn with the support of emergency relief funds, it allowed Fernàndez to keep her focus on the future.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“Thanks to this support people can maintain their farm,” she said.&nbsp;

Not far from Fernàndez, another group of farmers struggled too. Dolores Cano, Natalia Simón, and Jezabel Pérez are part of the Otomi people of Mexico, who first settled in these highlands more than 10,000 years ago. They come from a long tradition of farming, a way of life threatened by the low coffee prices and a devastating coffee rust outbreak.&nbsp;

“Farming coffee is very important to me because it keeps my family together, everyone works as one,” said Pérez.

Simón said the coffee produced on the farm pays for education for their children and other essentials. “Farming coffee is characteristic of us. It is a job that advances our families,” she said.&nbsp;

The relief funds allowed their community to breathe a bit easier while waiting for prices to rebound.

Ensuring the future of farming

Over the past 20 years, Starbucks has invested more than $150 million in support for coffee farmers and their communities on top of the premium it pays for high quality and ethically sourced coffee. Its network of support includes nine<a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2018/starbucks-farmer-support-centers/"> Farmer Support Centers</a> around the world; an initiative to distribute<a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2017/starbucks-100million-coffee-trees/"> 100 million disease-resilient coffee trees</a> to farmers by 2025; providing loans to farmers; and promoting<a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2019/women-in-coffee-and-tea-communities/"> leadership opportunities for women and families</a> in coffee-growing communities.

Starbucks hopes to help ensure the future of coffee for the thousands of farmers who produce coffee served in its stores and the 100 million customers who enjoy it each week – for today, tomorrow, and always.

Keeping the farm - Starbucks Stories

How coffee farmers in Mexico’s highlands are navigating the winds of change.

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Keeping the farm

Here at Starbucks, our success especially for the future is directly linked to the success of the farmers who grow our coffee. With globally low coffee prices and coffee tree disease affecting many smallholder coffee farmers in Central America, we remain relentless in our efforts to support their livelihoods, we are constantly evaluating how we can improve that support, and we encourage the rest of the coffee industry to do the same.

Our approach in this region, as it is globally, is comprehensive and holistic. We pay premiums for our coffee for high-quality standards and participation in our ethical and sustainable sourcing program. &nbsp;We also provide coffee farmers with a range of resources, so that their livelihoods and quality of life improve alongside their coffee yields and coffee quality.

At times, this support includes short-term relief funding, such as an <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2018/starbucks-commits-20-million-for-emergency-relief-to-farmers/">Emergency Farmer Relief Fund</a> of up to $20 million for smallholder farmers in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua for the 2018-2019 harvest season, which is being disbursed now, and <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2018/starbucks-supports-guatemala-volcano-relief-efforts/">volcano relief efforts</a> for Guatemala last year.

Longer term, the following resources are available to farmers – both those who sell to Starbucks and those who do not.

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The story of the Pacheco family in the Jalapa region of Guatemala is one example of Starbucks ongoing support. When a rust outbreak affected their coffee trees, they received 6,000 new, disease-resilient trees as part of Starbucks One Bag for Every Tree initiative (now the&nbsp;<a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2017/starbucks-100million-coffee-trees/">100 Million Trees program</a>).

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Supporting Coffee Farmers in Central America - Starbucks Stories

Supporting Coffee Farmers in Central America

Here at Starbucks, our success especially for the future is directly linked to the success of the farmers who grow our coffee.

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