CSR and Starbucks

Starbucks is considered a great company to work for. How do they achieve such recognition? They have created an atmosphere that is warm, inviting, and comfortable to its consumers. They are also demonstrating corporate social responsibility globally.

One way that they do it is by being socially responsible here, and in developing countries where the business starts. The coffee business is currently suffering due to climate change and global warming. Farmers in coffee growing regions are going out of business due to over production. Starbucks makes it a priority to always pay coffee farmers proper wages for the coffee that they grow. They even go as far as buying all the coffee that one specific farmer can produce to create a coffee unique and exclusive to Starbucks. Not only does Starbucks work with the coffee farmers that they are purchasing from, but they also work with the local governments to ensure fair treatments, and social conditions. They meet with these governments frequently to ask for help to be socially responsible. In return, Starbucks does their best to help them by building schools and education programs.

Starbucks follows something they call Coffee And Farmer Equity Practices (C.A.F.E practices). They work with conservation international to try and create a way of buying coffee that is sustainable for the future. They do this so the farmers can stay in business, and they stay socially and environmentally responsible. This requires Starbucks to pay a fair price for the coffee and auditing by third parties so Starbucks knows that farmers are being paid enough to stay in business by being paid premium prices. They look after the working conditions for the farmers, and provide for them through food, health care and good working conditions.

Starbucks is a big company, but there are a lot bigger out there that don’t practice near what Starbucks does. Why not?

By: Matt Fair