Starbucks has a long history of doing business in ways that are socially, environmentally, and economically responsible. Our commitment to doing the right thing has always been central to how we operate as a company. It’s deeply valued by our partners (employees) and customers alike, and we believe it also makes great business sense. It hasn’t always been easy; however, we’ve learned from our mistakes and persevered as a pioneer of innovation across the industry.
Year in Review: Fiscal 2009
As we’ve grown in size, so has our ability to drive positive change in communities around the world. In 2008 we set bold new goals in the areas where we can have the greatest impact: ethical sourcing, environmental stewardship, and community involvement. Together, we call these priorities Starbucks™ Shared Planet™.
By openly reporting on our performance, we aim to inform, inspire, and engage our partners, customers, and other stakeholders. In addition, this exercise gives us the opportunity to measure our progress and refine our strategy for the future.
In 2009 we took significant steps toward achieving our goals and also encountered challenges. Most notably, extraordinary global economic conditions forced us to make some difficult business decisions. While we adopted considerable cost-saving initiatives and invested in the customer experience to support long-term, profitable growth, we remained committed to responsible business practices.
Last year we looked beyond the boundaries of our own business structure and collaborated with external experts and organizations to find creative solutions for complex problems. This dialogue helped us gain a better understanding of the barriers we’re facing and aided the development of new action plans that we’ve already begun to implement.
We’re pleased to share our 2009 progress with you, and we hope you’ll find this year’s streamlined report easy to navigate. For a snapshot of year-over-year performance1 against our Starbucks™ Shared Planet™ goals, we invite you to explore this section further. Regular updates on our broader responsible business practices are available at starbucks.com/responsibility.
As proud as we are of our accomplishments, we recognize we have a long way to go, and we welcome your input and ideas.
1 Report is based on fiscal year (October through September) performance unless otherwise indicated.