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.

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.”

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    1•6 months ago

    It’s hard to imagine, but in several places around the continent there aren’t local shops. In even more there aren’t local shops that are near where people are going. There should be - if we could Patreon up some kinda national chain of local shop coffees that’d be great but that’s essentially what Starbucks did in the 90s the olde fashioned way.

    Not defending Starbucks at all in any way here, but as an unrelated aside it’s hard to remember that in most places in America there was a time before Starbucks when coffee was just pretty bad tasting everywhere. You could doctor it up with sugar or whatever if you had to, but there weren’t espresso drinks. it was urn-percolated or pour-over coffee and that was it. Like tea - lots of water. There was “good” coffee from places and then the rest. The alternate reality we live in now where espresso drinks are the norm is kind of great in one sense. Anyway - not related to Starbucks doing awful corporate things for which they should be roundly rejected.