Starbucks is the world’s largest coffeehouse chain with more than 35,000 stores globally. While marketed as socially responsible, investigations link Starbucks’ supply chains to child labor, forced labor, and exploitative farm conditions, alongside greenwashing of its environmental footprint. The company has also faced repeated labor rights complaints in the U.S. and global backlash after suing its workers’ union over a pro-Palestine solidarity post.
Starbucks represents the intersection of supply chain exploitation, environmental harm, union-busting, and political complicity. Consumer boycotts here strike at one of the most visible symbols of corporate power, with resonance across movements for labor rights, climate justice, and Palestinian solidarity. Targeted pressure exposes the gap between its progressive image and exploitative reality, forcing accountability.