Corporate sustainability programs and reporting: Responsibility commitment and thought leadership at Starbucks

Building upon the thesis of Baden and Harwood (2013) that "terminology matters" in describing sustainability programs and corporate social responsibility reporting efforts, this chapter examines how an organization rhetorically self-defines its specific degree or level of "responsibility" in a particular industry or within an industry sector in its actions as well as its non-financial reporting efforts. Starbucks's evolution in developing sustainability programs and their sustainability reporting over a 12-year period are examined as a case example. Being both praised and criticized, Starbucks provides an instructive example of the evolution of corporate responsibility in a customer-facing enterprise. A model of both internal and external drivers of corporate social responsibility and sustainability progress is proposed and applied to the Starbucks case.