6.05.2008 - 02:00pm ET

(CSRwire) SEATTLE, WA - June 5, 2008 - As part of its continued commitment to transform its business, Starbucks Coffee Company (Nasdaq: SBUX) today announced that it is realigning its Corporate Social Responsibility department to be even more effective in its ethical sourcing, environmental leadership and community investment efforts.

Global Responsibility, formerly known as Corporate Social Responsibility, has restructured its organization to reallocate its resources to the field to be closer to the customer; create more capacity for its already robust responsibility efforts; and enable Starbucks to link its business priorities to the needs and values of the global community and environment.

"We are proud of our strong record of being responsible to our partners (employees), the communities, coffee farmers and environment," said Martin Coles, chief operating officer of Starbucks Coffee Company. "This team will be focused on ensuring that our customers' values are expressed in every aspect of our work."

The Global Responsibility team will primarily focus on ethical sourcing, environmental impact and community investment efforts. In addition to this team, a network of Global Responsibility partners will be integrated within each business unit and department to help set strategy and goals within each area to ensure customers' values are represented in every aspect of the company’s work. Regional Responsibility partners will also be located within each market to help regionalize implementation.

Fortuitously, this key leadership move was announced on the heels of the company being named to Ethisphere's second-annual World's Most Ethical Companies list revealed at the Ethisphere and Forbes joint-conference, "Driving Profit through Ethical Leadership," held on June 3.

Ethisphere is a think-tank dedicated to the research and promotion of profitable best practices in global governance, business ethics, compliance and corporate responsibility. The extensive research process included reviewing over 10,000 of the world's leading companies on six continents.



About Starbucks

Since 1971, Starbucks Coffee Company has been committed to ethically sourcing and roasting the highest quality arabica coffee in the world. Today, with over 16,000 stores in 45 countries, the company is the premier roaster and retailer of specialty coffee in the world. Through our unwavering commitment to excellence and our guiding principles, we bring the unique Starbucks Experience to life for every customer through every cup. To share in the experience, please visit us in our stores or online at www.starbucks.com.

For more information please contact: