Starbucks Corporation CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY ...

Transparency and ReportingOur stakeholders want to know what Starbucks is doing tobe a socially and environmentally responsible company. Since2001, Starbucks has published a CSR Report as part of ourbroader communications efforts to provide transparency onour CSR activities and performance. In preparing our fiscal2006 and previous reports, we have been influenced by theGlobal Reporting Initiative (GRI) 2002 Guidelines, a set ofinternationally recognized sustainability reporting standards.A GRI Index is available on pages 5 and 6.Starbucks also reviewed the recently released GRI G3Guidelines in developing this report, which includesspecific guidance for reporting against the GRI principlesfor defining content and quality. The principles, along witha brief description of how Starbucks addressed them, arelisted below:Materiality: To determine what topics and indicatorsto include in our report that reflect the company’s mostsignificant impacts and issues of greatest importance tostakeholders, Starbucks conducted a materiality assessment,described on page 3.Stakeholder Inclusiveness: We define who our stakeholdersare, describe the measures we took to engage and solicittheir feedback, and throughout this report explain how weare addressing their concerns. More specific informationon our stakeholder engagement efforts is described on theprevious page.Sustainability Context: Discussing our CSR-relatedmeasures and performance in the broader sustainabilitycontext is essential. At the beginning of most sections, weintroduce the specific topics to be covered and explain howthey support our approach to sustainability.Completeness: To provide readers with appropriate contextfor what is and is not covered in this report, we define thescope, boundaries and topics contained in this report onpage 4. Since first publishing a CSR report in 2001, we haveworked to make our report more comprehensive each yearand will continue to do so in the future.Balance: Throughout this report, Starbucks has includedmulti-year performance data and provided self assessmentsof our performance. We have also included case studiesand external stakeholder comments as a way of providingmore insight and objectivity about some of the challengesStarbucks faces.Comparability: In developing the report each year, weuse our previous reports as starting points. We providefollow-up information regarding any intended plans wepreviously stated and include multi-year performance datawhen possible. Self assessments about our performance arealso included. This enables our stakeholders to compare ourperformance over time.Accuracy: The content and data included in this report havebeen internally reviewed by numerous subject matter expertsand senior leaders at Starbucks, and been subject to a systemof internal controls. As described below, external verificationwas conducted by Moss Adams LLP, an independentaccounting and consulting firm. See pages 76 and 77 formore information.Timeliness: At the end of our fiscal year, which ends on theSunday closest to September 30, our goal is to complete andrelease Starbucks CSR Report by the date of our AnnualShareholders’ Meeting. The date of the meeting varies year toyear, but usually takes place within six months after the fiscalyear closes.Clarity: Each year we have worked to improve the designand readability of our report in a format that is concise,understandable and user-friendly. We have also reducedthe amount of content covered in our printed report andpresented more information online.Reliability: External verification of the data and statementsmade in Starbucks CSR Annual Reports began in 2002,when the company retained Seattle-based Moss Adams LLP,the 12 th largest accounting and consulting firm in the U.S.The selection of Moss Adams met Starbucks criteria for ahigh-quality firm that had not worked with the companypreviously, and a firm that could develop a customizedapproach for verifying CSR-related data and content. (Seepages 76 and 77.)S T A R B U C K S A N D C O R P O R A T E S O C I A L R E S P O N S I B I L I T Y 13