Lawsuit claims Starbucks misled consumers on origins of '100% ethical' coffee, tea

Jan. 11 (UPI) -- A leading U.S. consumer advocacy group filed a lawsuit against Starbucks, alleging the ubiquitous coffee chain misled consumers by claiming its brewed products are produced from "100% ethical" sources.

The National Consumers League announced the legal claim in a statement Wednesday, citing "widespread evidence the company relies on farms and cooperatives that commit egregious labor and human rights violations."

The complaint, filed in Superior Court in the District of Columbia, alleges Starbucks utilized deceptive marketing to conceal the origins of its coffee and tea products.

The Seattle-based coffee giant immediately refuted the accusations in a statement, saying the company is prepared to "aggressively defend against the asserted claims that Starbucks has misrepresented its ethical sourcing commitments to customers."

"We take allegations like these extremely seriously and are actively engaged with farms to ensure they adhere to our standards," Starbucks said. "Each supply chain is required to undergo re-verification regularly and we remain committed to working with our business partners to meet the expectations detailed in our Global Human Rights Statement."

The suit alleges that Starbucks sourced its branded ingredients through farms and cooperatives with "documented history of child labor, forced labor, sexual harassment and assault and other human rights abuses."

The lawsuit seeks an injunction against Starbucks, penalties and punitive damages, according to Stacey Leyton, the attorney for the plaintiff.

"The lawsuit aims to hold Starbucks accountable to D.C. law, to the consumers who have relied on its false and misleading representations and to the farmworkers who are enduring conditions no human being should have to suffer," Leyton said

Sally Greenberg, chief executive of the National Consumers League, said she was "committed to exposing and reining in these deceptive practices and holding Starbucks accountable."

"On every bag of coffee and box of K-cups sitting on grocery store shelves, Starbucks is telling consumers a lie," she said. "The facts are clear: there are significant human rights and labor abuses across Starbucks' supply chain, and consumers have a right to know exactly what they're paying for."

Two years ago, Starbucks' primary coffee supplier in Brazil was accused by a local labor prosecutor of enslaving more than 30 migrant laborers who were forced to work excessive hours while hauling 100-pound sacks of coffee on their backs.

"Starbucks' failure to adopt meaningful reforms to its coffee and tea sourcing practices in the face of these critiques and documented labor abuses on its source farms is wholly inconsistent with a reasonable consumer's understanding of what it means to be 'committed to 100% ethical' sourcing," the complaint says. "Similarly, Starbucks' failure to disclose to consumers the unreliability of these certification programs and their limitations as a guarantee of ethical sourcing are misleading omissions material to the decision-making of a reasonable consumer."

The lawsuit also cites several investigations targeting Starbucks over the past decade in Brazil, Kenya, Guatemala, which uncovered evidence of forced child labor, hazardous and grueling work conditions for little to no pay, and sexual abuse.