How Starbucks is Creating Resilient Coffee Supply Chains

Starbucks has operated for more than 50 years. The company's 2025 Impact Report outlines progress in building what it describes as a sustainable and resilient coffee supply chain.

The report details efforts to affect the environment and communities. The company began fiscal year 2025 by implementing its Back to Starbucks strategy, which refocuses on business fundamentals.

Ethical sourcing practices

Coffee represents the core of Starbucks' business. The company focuses on sourcing methods that could promote ethical and regenerative practices.

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

The framework helps Starbucks assess how its coffee is grown, processed and traded across its supply chain. It provides checkpoints for farms to meet.

According to Starbucks, more than 99% of the company's coffee was sourced in 2025 from supply chains verified to meet C.A.F.E. Practices standards.

Climate-resistant coffee trees

In 2017, Starbucks set a target to distribute 100m coffee trees by 2025. The company has now achieved this goal.

The trees were donated to farmers in El Salvador, Guatemala and Mexico. They were bred to better withstand climate impacts and could help improve productivity.

Kelly Goodejohn, Chief Sustainability and Social Impact Officer at Starbucks, says: "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."

"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."

Education and career development

The Starbucks College Achievement Plan (SCAP) celebrated its 11th anniversary in 2025. The programme allows eligible US partners to receive 100% upfront tuition coverage for a first-time online bachelor's degree at Arizona State University.

According to Starbucks, more than 28,000 partners have participated. Nearly 17,000 have graduated 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.

Environmental and community initiatives

Since 2019, Starbucks has reduced its Scope 1 and 2 market-based greenhouse gas emissions by 17%. The target is to achieve a 50% absolute reduction in Scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, from a FY19 baseline.

The company 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.

The company is also developing 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. This donates unsold food from its US and Canada coffeehouses to hunger relief organisations.

Last year, 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."