A new class action lawsuit filed in the US District Court for the District of Columbia alleges that Starbucks was complicit in forced labor and human rights violations on plantations in Brazil. The Complaint argues that Starbucks’ tier 1 supplier Cooxupé is at the center of numerous human rights violations on coffee plantations. The plaintiffs attempt to show a pattern of labor abuses by Cooxupé member farms to establish that Starbucks knew or should have known that forced labor exists in its supply chain:
“For almost a decade, Starbucks has been called out by news reporters and consumers for human rights abuses taking place in its product supply chain, especially in Brazil where Starbucks maintains a major presence. Cooxupé, Starbucks’ main Tier 1 supplier in Brazil, is regularly cited for trafficking and forced labor violations, including having several farms on Brazil’s ‘Dirty List,’ which is widely publicized, yet, Starbucks has continued to receive its products from those sources.”
This case is very similar to the Bumble Bee Foods lawsuit I wrote about previously. Both detail cases of workers being whisked away to remote locations by recruiters who promise decent wages and adequate working conditions, only to find themselves stranded in slavery conditions and subject to abuse. Both also use the Trafficking Victims Protection Act as the basis for their claims. One primary difference is that, unlike Bumble Bee, Starbucks has long positioned itself as proactively fighting forced labor in its supply chain through its Coffee and Farmer Equity (C.A.F.E.) program. The complaint argues that the C.A.F.E. program is inadequate and that various abuses have continued despite the program. We’ll see how Starbucks responds and what facts come out as the litigation progresses.
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