How Starbucks Makes A Positive Impact in Coffee Supply Chain

Over its more than 50-year history, Starbucks has worked to build a sustainable, resilient coffee supply chain.

Its 2025 Impact Report details its progress towards sustainability, highlighting its efforts to positively impact the environment and communities.

The company began the 2025 fiscal year by implementing its Back to Starbucks strategy, refocusing on the fundamentals of its business.

Leadership in coffee supply chains

Coffee is at the heart of Starbucks’ business. The company is focusing on how it sources its coffee, promoting ethical and regenerative practices.

More than 20 years ago, Starbucks worked with Conservation International to develop one of the coffee industry’s first sourcing programmes: Coffee and Farmer Equity (C.A.F.E.) Practices.

This helps Starbucks assess how its coffee is grown, processed and traded across its supply chain, providing a set of checkpoints for farms.

More than 99% of the company’s coffee was sourced in 2025 from supply chains verified to meet C.A.F.E. Practices standards.

In 2017, Starbucks set a target to distribute 100 million coffee trees by 2025. It has now achieved this goal, donating trees to farmers in El Salvador, Guatemala and Mexico.

These trees were specifically bred to better withstand climate impacts and help improve productivity.

“For more than 50 years we’ve believed in the power of business to make a positive impact and our teams work every day to translate that idea into action," says Kelly Goodejohn, Chief Sustainability and Social Impact Officer at Starbucks.

“It was a year of significant progress. This includes achieving several ambitious multi-year goals, in some cases ahead of schedule.

“We know that creating a lasting impact takes time and sustained effort. The progress we made this year builds on the investments we have made over recent years.

“For example, to date, we have invested US$200m in coffee sustainability, more than US$325m in renewable energy projects, US$50m in anchor investments in two WaterEquity funds to increase access to clean water and more than US$100m in our FoodShare hunger relief programme.”

Building career paths

In 2025, the Starbucks College Achievement Plan (SCAP) celebrated its 11th anniversary.

This programme allows eligible US partners to receive 100% upfront tuition coverage for a first-time online bachelor’s degree at Arizona State University.

More than 28,000 partners have participated, with nearly 17,000 graduating with degrees from ASU.

Nearly 90% of Starbucks’ US coffeehouses have at least one partner enrolled in the programme.

The company also provides continuous learning and development opportunities to help its partners grow their careers.

Protecting communities & the environment

Since 2019, Starbucks has reduced its Scope 1 and 2 market-based greenhouse gas emissions by 17%.

Its target is to achieve a 50% absolute reduction in Scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, from a FY19 baseline; however, it is actively reassessing this goal.

Starbucks has continued to meet 100% of the electricity needs of all company-operated coffeehouses globally, excluding China, through a mix of power purchase agreements, renewable energy certificates and direct investments.

It is also driving the development of new renewable energy projects and storage facilities through direct investments and long-term contracts that enable project financing.

In 2016, Starbucks launched its FoodShare programme, donating unsold food from its US and Canada coffeehouses to hunger relief organisations.

Last year, its partners helped donate more than 16 million meals and reinvest US$16.4m into hunger relief initiatives.

To date, FoodShare has helped donate nearly 122 million meals and reinvested more than US$102.7m into programmes fighting hunger.

Kelly adds on LinkedIn: “Progress isn’t always linear, and some of the challenges we’re working to address are complex.

“But I’m encouraged by the momentum we’re building and grateful to everyone who made this progress possible.”