Coffee talk: Starbucks and Nestle'

[Star Scott]

Hey Green Labs fam,

 

This email isn’t directly related to Green Labs, but is tangentially related to our efforts; first, in that many of us are consumers of coffee, including Starbucks. Secondly, in our pursuit of supply chain transparency and bringing greater awareness and clarity to social certifications—namely, what do they mean and how reliable are they?  This report challenges ethical sourcing claims and exposes how private certifications can serve as a facade of sustainability and human rights protections. 

 

What we purchase truly matters.  Our purchasing can (and often does) drive human rights abuses in the supply chain. Collectively, we can take more responsibility for our purchasing, both in the lab and in the fuel that drives our pursuits…coffee! When I’m in my home town, I have a favorite locally-owned coffee house I support, but when I’m traveling, I default to Starbucks…or at least i used to before I read this report.  Check it out.

 

Best,

Star

 

Star Scott

Sustainable Science and Green Labs Program Manager she/her/hers

Facilities Management Division  |  University of Georgia

Chicopee No.1, 1180 E. Broad Street, Athens, GA 30602

Office: 706.542.7884  |  Fax: 706.542.7679

star...@uga.edu  | https://greenlab.uga.edu

 

I humbly acknowledge and honor the land and people of the Mvskoke/Muscogee Creek and Tsalaguwetiyi/Cherokee Nations on whose ancestral land University of Georgia is located, and I acknowledge and grieve for those enslaved people who were forcibly brought to these lands.