Starbucks Corporation CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY ...
Starbucks Corporation CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY ...
Starbucks Corporation CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY ...
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Ethos Water<br />
<strong>Starbucks</strong> acquired the Ethos Water brand in April 2005 and<br />
began selling Ethos bottled water in our U.S. companyoperated<br />
stores that same year. As part of this acquisition,<br />
we began exploring the range of issues associated with<br />
bottled water.<br />
In November 2005 <strong>Starbucks</strong> hosted a Water Stakeholders’<br />
Summit, moderated by Business for Social Responsibility<br />
(BSR), in order to learn more about stakeholder concerns<br />
related to <strong>Starbucks</strong> use of water resources throughout<br />
our business, sourcing and packaging for Ethos water,<br />
The <strong>Starbucks</strong> Foundation’s investments in humanitarian<br />
water projects resulting from the sale of Ethos water, and<br />
other water-related issues and topics. For information on<br />
<strong>Starbucks</strong> and The <strong>Starbucks</strong> Foundation’s commitment to<br />
providing clean water for children, please see pages 41 and 47,<br />
respectively.<br />
Encouraged by this stakeholder discussion, in 2006 we<br />
focused our efforts on developing a set of responsible sourcing<br />
protocols for Ethos water. Quickly recognizing that, to<br />
date, there is no one single standard for responsible sourcing<br />
of spring water, we consulted with a number of industry and<br />
environmental experts to further understand the issues, and<br />
to develop a strategy to guide our current and future water<br />
sourcing plans.*<br />
The result of this work is a responsible water sourcing protocol<br />
designed to ensure that we purchase the highest quality<br />
bottled water product, sourced in an environmentally and<br />
socially responsible manner. The protocol includes provisions<br />
for a variety of crucial sourcing concerns and specific legal<br />
issues, such as the appropriate definitions of spring water;<br />
transportation impacts; sustainable yield assessment to<br />
better understand existing water uses (by animals, plants<br />
and communities); bottling issues; and community impacts<br />
and engagement.<br />
Following initial development, we reviewed and refined the<br />
protocol with our stakeholders and utilized it to audit our<br />
existing water sources. Moving forward, we intend to use this<br />
protocol as a tool to monitor our existing sites and to qualify<br />
additional sources for Ethos water. <strong>Starbucks</strong> will also<br />
continue to engage in dialogue with our stakeholders.<br />
* Ethos water is currently sourced from two natural spring sources – Baxter<br />
Springs in the Sierra Nevada Range in Northern California, and Tomhicken<br />
Springs in the Pocono Valley in northeastern Pennsylvania.<br />
P R O D U C T S<br />
Ethos Water Voluntary Product Withdrawal<br />
<strong>Starbucks</strong> is deeply committed to the health and safety of<br />
our customers and partners, and to delivering high-quality<br />
products. If a concern arises regarding the safety or quality<br />
of one of our products, <strong>Starbucks</strong> is committed to taking<br />
appropriate measures and immediate action. One recent<br />
example of <strong>Starbucks</strong> swift response related to an issue that<br />
involved Ethos water.<br />
In December 2005, it was discovered that one of the<br />
suppliers that <strong>Starbucks</strong> was using at the time to bottle<br />
Ethos water was out of regulatory compliance for levels<br />
of bromate. Bromate is formed from bromide – naturally<br />
occurring minerals found in some spring waters – during the<br />
purification process.<br />
Upon learning of this issue, <strong>Starbucks</strong> contacted the FDA and<br />
initiated a voluntary product withdrawal for Ethos water<br />
sold in 14 Western states. Supplies of Ethos water on the<br />
East Coast of the U.S. were not affected because we utilize a<br />
different supplier for this region.<br />
As a result of the recall, West Coast production of Ethos <br />
water was immediately halted, and the impacted inventory in<br />
our stores, warehouses and other retail outlets was destroyed.<br />
<strong>Starbucks</strong> temporarily supplied our Western U.S. stores with<br />
Ethos water from our East Coast bottler while we located a<br />
new source for the West Coast. Using our new water sourcing<br />
protocol as a guide, we have qualified a new supplier that<br />
we believe can consistently meet our quality standards and<br />
sustainable sourcing criteria.