The lawsuit calls for the coffee chain to end its “unfair and deceptive” trade practices and argues that the company is aware of the child and forced labor on some of its supplier farms.
A consumer advocacy group is suing Starbucks, the world’s largest coffee brand, for false advertising, alleging that it sources coffee and tea from farms with human rights and labor abuses, while touting its commitment to ethical sourcing.
The case, filed in a Washington, D.C., court on Wednesday on behalf of American consumers, alleges that the coffee giant is misleading the public by widely marketing its “100% ethical” sourcing commitment on its coffee and tea products, when it knowingly sources from suppliers with “documented, severe human rights and labor abuses.”
“On every bag of coffee and box of K-cups that Starbucks sells, Starbucks is heralding its commitment to 100% ethical sourcing,” said Sally Greenberg, CEO of the National Consumers League, the legal advocacy group bringing the case. “But it’s pretty clear that there are significant human rights and labor abuses across Starbucks’ supply chain.”
More like going to Starbucks because it’s there and hoping they’re not doing this.
I’m presuming the suit is more of a public relations attack to point out these abuses than it is to correct Starbucks for whatever oversight they screwed up. Which is a good idea - I mean, we just read it now.
We all know the government is not going to enforce ethics, so smearing their reputation is the best we’ll get anyways…