Analysis Of Starbucks Coffee: Green Or Greenwashed

In the article, Starbucks Coffee: Green or Greenwashed? By Sarah Lozanova, her purpose is to construct an argument on Starbuck’s business practices. Within the last decade there has been a skyrocket in demand for coffee and it’s continuing to grow each and every day, some might say it’s the most popular beverage in the world. Starbucks motto was always to be green and healthy but speculations about their products they use, failing to recycle and being bad for the environment has people questioning if they are “Green or Greenwashed”.

The coffee industry has become so massive it’s become a trend. Coffee has become a tradition for most people in the morning whether it be for a boost of energy or just the love of the taste, it gets people accustomed

Since 2006, Starbucks has been using over billions of disposable paper cups which needs an extravagant amount of resources to create just to be thrown in landfill. The term recyclable refers to something that can be converted into reusable material. Recycling is important so we can cut down on materials, reuse old material and keep harmful substances out of landfill. Starbucks offers a cup with 10% post-consumer recycled paper fiber along with using recycled fiber for food packaging. “The downside is that Starbucks cups still cannot be processed in many paper recycling systems. This is due to a thin polyethylene plastic coating that stops liquid from leaking out” (Lozanova 124). In 2012 Starbucks introduced EarthSleeve™ to their locations which used less raw materials for cups. As of 2017, Starbucks hasn’t added recyclable cups but to compensate they’re selling reusable cups. They sell $1 durable and recycable mugs as well as offering a discount to customers who bring in their own cup. In the article, New Starbucks Card Helps Customers Give Back To Environment with Every Purchase, Starbucks is giving the opportunity for customers to help join Conservation International (CI) to help protect forests and the life that exists within them. The way it works is every customer who pays with a special Conservation International Starbucks Card, Starbucks

Since there has been such a drastic increase in coffee the last decade, there is needed to be more production for it around the world; “Not all coffee beans are created equal through the eyes of sustainability. Organic shade grown coffee on smaller farms is ideal. The reality is that working conditions, pesticide use and many other factors vary greatly in this industry” (Lozanova 122) Since there is such a big market for coffee, there was a lot produced which lead to price going down. This caused a downfall for people who did this for a living and couldn’t compete anymore. This problem has been solved when Starbucks eventually collaborated with Coffee and Farmer Equity Practices (C.A.F.E. Practices) This practice set guidelines for purchasing coffee. These farmers were also working with unhealthy coffee trees so Starbucks made a public announcement on the situation. In the article, Starbucks Is Fighting For The Future Of Coffee By Providing 100 Million Healthy Coffee Trees By