Environmental Campaign Against Starbucks Escalates at Annual Shareholder Meeting

Giant Cup Monster Greets Shareholders in Downtown Seattle, Activists Promote Environmental Accountability Inside Meeting 

For Immediate Release: Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Contact: Ross Hammond, ross@stand.earth, tel. 415-559-5082
Kristi Chester Vance, kristi@stand.earth, tel. 415-902-5885

Environmental Campaign Against Starbucks Escalates at Annual Shareholder Meeting

Giant Cup Monster Greets Shareholders in Downtown Seattle, Activists Promote Environmental Accountability Inside Meeting

Seattle – Today, Stand.earth, the environmental group pressuring Starbucks to make a 100% recyclable paper cup, organized a colorful protest outside the company’s annual shareholder meeting in Seattle and directly challenged Starbucks leadership inside the meeting. A giant “Cup Monster” made of more than 1,000 Starbucks cups, along with protesting mermaids, greeted the thousands of shareholders in attendance. Police prevented activists from erecting a 90-foot wall composed of 8,000 Starbucks cups in front of the meeting, despite the fact that they were on public property.

Inside the meeting, Stand.earth’s Executive Director directly confronted Starbucks management for its failure to keep their promise to make a recyclable cup. He also proposed a resolution to make Starbucks far more accountable to its shareholders by making the election of the Board of Directors more democratic.

Starbucks serves over four billion disposable cups a year — over over 8,000 every minute — the vast majority of which end up in landfills because they’re not recyclable in most facilities. In 2008 Starbucks promised it would use only 100% recycled AND recyclable cups, and serve 25% of its drinks in reusable mugs. The company has not delivered on these commitments.

“In 2008 Starbucks promised the world that it would serve a recyclable paper cup. Nine years later, we’re still waiting” said Todd Paglia, Executive Director of Stand.earth. “Starbucks has a history of taking action on issues that matter to it. So the question is, when will the company decide that its environmental impact matters? If any company in the world can operate without destroying forests and creating mountains of waste, it’s Starbucks,” said Paglia.

Photos of the protest are available here.