Starbucks, an ethical multinational

Starbucks, the multinational coffee producer, decided in 2009 to become more durable. Even though they still make millions of dollars of profit, they are now taking the environmental aspect into account. This gives Starbucks the label of green corporation. But not only the environment is important for Starbucks, they are also the biggest buyer of fair trade coffee, which is a social aspect.

To help the environment, Starbucks will make all of their cups recyclable and reduce their water and energy consumption. As for the social aspect, Starbucks set up Coffee and Farmer Equity (Cafe) Practices. This guarantees that the farms, which sell coffee beans to Starbucks, meet labour and environmental standards,  like minimum wages and water and agrochemical usage. Starbucks has also sent a part of its employees to these farms, where they had to work, to create an emotional connection between the product and its staff. Starbucks hopes that this will motivate the personnel and that these employees will share their stories with other colleagues and customers.

I think it’s great that a multinational like Starbucks buys fair trade coffee. Also, the results of their Cafe Practices is amazing. The lives of these farmers has changed dramatically. These practices have helped the farmers to increase output while reducing cost and to increase their yield.

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Van Liedekerke Jonas