Starbucks: The Jolly Green Mermaid?

Here’s a tax day gift from Starbucks: bring in a reusable mug today, and they’ll fill it with drip for free.

“Save money and save the earth?” Well, maybe.

Starbucks, the seemingly ubiquitous coffee giant, likes to talk a lot of green, with a major marketing effort around their “Shared Planet” initiative. This tax day promotion follows on the heels of a March publicity stunt where they got several thousand people to “lay down their cups” – literally. In exchange for a free reusable mug (with Starbucks logo, natch), thousands of folks placed their Starbucks coffee cups on a New York City sidewalk in the shape of a giant sequoia, the logo for Starbucks’ new eco-campaign: Big Ideas (see the video below). They also offer a ten cent discount on every cup of coffee served in a reusable mug.

What’s in the Cup?

But what are they going to be pouring in your mug?

Other than this week, when they’re featuring their one Fair Trade blend, Cafe Estima, it almost certainly won’t be Fair Trade or Rainforest Alliance certified coffee. Starbucks has largely chosen to eschew such third-party certifications in favor of developing their own “guideline,” the Coffee and Farmer Equity (C.A.F.E.) Practices. Greenwashing alarm bells, anyone?

The guidelines are admirably holistic (and kudos to Starbucks for transparency), with four principles: product quality, economic accountability, social responsibility, and environmental “leadership,” both in growing and processing. But a closer look at the guidelines reveals that their first priority is coffee quality and supplier stability. Moreover, the guidelines are not mandatory, lack stringent oversight, and make no bottom-line price guarantees for small farmers.Even with these weaker guidelines, of the 30 blends listed on their website, only 11 earn the Shared Planet designation. After a protest by customers, Starbucks did add one Fair Trade-certified blend of coffee, their Café Estima, and, due to their sheer size, can lay claim to being “the world’s largest seller of Fair Trade coffee.” But they have steadfastly refused to add more Fair Trade products to their line. They only sell one shade grown. They only sell two organic.

Why does it matter? The tropical regions where coffee is grown also happen to be some of the most important carbon sinks on our planet (tropical forests) as well as home to some of the highest levels of biodiversity. Birds are especially imperiled by the pesticides and removal of forest diversity common to coffee cultivation. These areas desperately need protection, and the more that farmers are able to make a sustainable living without destroying the environment, the better off we will all be.

So, How Green is Starbucks?

Is Starbucks as green as their logo? I wish. Don’t get me wrong – they’re better than many mega-corporations. I welcome their high-profile efforts to raise environmental awareness in the inherently unsustainable coffee industry (think pesticides, deforestation, landfills full of disposable cups) – especially by such a big player.

But, with any “green” effort, the key question to ask is: who benefits? In the case of the reusable mug campaign, clearly Starbucks. By reducing the number of custom-printed recycled paper cups they hand out, they save money on every transaction. And they don’t even have to wash the cup – that’s your job.

Yes, there’s an ancillary benefit to the environment, and I’m glad big companies are seeing and capitalizing on the benefits of going green – more power to them. But don’t believe the hype: in places where it might hurt a little more to go sustainable – and where it might nudge the entire industry toward sustainability – Starbucks is much more reluctant to really lead.

Enjoy your free cup of coffee. But know that somebody, somewhere, is paying.

Starbucks Good

Awareness
Raising awareness of environmental issues
Waste
Reducing waste stream
Transparency
They naturally try to paint what they’re doing in the prettiest eco-colors, but they do providing a high level of transparency about what they’re doing. Compare, say, McDonald’s.

Starbucks Not-So-Good

Self-Interest First
Most of their programs are self-serving: ensuring quality product and a reliable supply base, reducing costs.
Toothless Guidelines
CARE practices are not mandatory, but encouraged, and have no regulatory teeth.
No Guarantees
No bottom-line price guarantee for coffee farmers.
Weak Environmental Standards
No requirements for organic or shade-grown.

Other Takes

Green LA Girl has a good (if somewhat dated) assessment of the Starbucks C.A.F.E. Practices.

Greenbiz.com has a more positive take on Starbucks’ green efforts.

What Do You Think?

Going to Starbucks today? Tell us about your experience in the comments below.

Image: Starbucks sign by ell brown on flickr.com.