Conservation International has worked with Starbucks Coffee Company for more than a decade to promote coffee production practices that conserve biodiversity, maintain healthy ecosystems and support economic and social development in coffee production landscapes as embodied in the company’s commitment to ethical sourcing.
As part of this commitment, Starbucks recognizes that long term business success is linked to the success of the millions of farmers who grow and supply coffee to the company.
Together with Starbucks, CI is working on the ground with coffee farmers to promote environmentally and socially sound growing practices through the C.A.F.E. Practices program, create new income streams from conservation and carbon markets and provide loans for sustainable enterprise development.
WHAT'S NEW: Starbucks Ethical Coffee Sourcing and Farmer Support
Our work together extends far beyond the coffee shop to the rich landscapes that surround and nurture the most important coffee-growing regions in the world. As far back as 1998, we saw Starbucks as a natural partner to our work because of our shared geographies: most of the world's key coffee-growing regions are the same areas where biological diversity is richest and most threatened — places we call the biodiversity hotspots.
LEARN MORE: Starbucks Goals & Progress
Explore our three core programs below to learn more about how CI and Starbucks are working together to support the people and rich ecosystems of coffee growing regions.
Core programs
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Coffee and Farmer Equity (C.A.F.E.) Practices
CI and Starbucks joined forces to develop buying guidelines that address Starbucks principles for ethical sourcing. C.A.F.E. Practices guidelines help farmers grow coffee in a way that's better for both people and the planet.
Through ongoing monitoring and evaluation of our joint initiatives with Starbucks we are able to measure program performance, identify new challenges and opportunities, and determine how best to expand our support for global coffee growing communities. In 2008, we partnered to undertake an assessment of the C.A.F.E. Practices program by looking at the results of verification reports for coffee suppliers and conducting field surveys in select regions. The latest publications are available for download and represent our latest work in this area. Read more » |
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Carbon Markets
The newest phase of our partnership supports coffee farmers in mitigating the impacts of climate change. Through forest conservation and habitat restoration efforts, CI is helping coffee communities to gain access to emerging forest carbon markets.
In 2008, Starbucks and CI launched a renewed five-year agreement to improve coffee production, conserve and restore natural habitat and explore opportunities to facilitate farmer access to forest carbon markets. Starbucks and CI are now investing in and supporting communities across select coffee-growing landscapes who engage in climate-friendly activities, including protecting existing forests and helping to restore degraded landscapes to promote mutually beneficial forest conservation and the sequestration of carbon. DOWNLOAD: Coffee + Carbon (PDF - 334 KB) |
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Verde Ventures
Starbucks is a key supporter of CI's Verde Ventures fund, which provides loans to businesses that can play a critical role in conserving biodiversity, such as coffee farms with sustainable growing practices.
Verde Ventures builds sustainable green economies by investing in small and medium sized businesses that are strategically placed to contribute to conserving Earth's biologically richest and most threatened areas. With US$4.5 million in support from Starbucks, Verde Ventures offers credit financing for sustainable agriculture enterprises like conservation coffee enterprises that demonstrate direct benefits to biodiversity conservation and poverty alleviation. Read more » |