Starbucks Invests in Employee Education Programme

Starbucks has released its financial year 2025 Impact Report, outlining its programmes for employee development and career progression.

The company employs more than 28,000 people who have participated in its tuition coverage scheme since its launch 11 years ago. According to the report, nearly 17,000 employees have graduated with degrees through the programme.

The 2025 fiscal year saw the company implement its Back to Starbucks strategy, which is refocusing on business fundamentals.

Tuition coverage for employees

Starbucks's College Achievement Plan marked its 11th anniversary in 2025. The programme allows eligible US partners to receive 100% upfront tuition coverage for a first-time online bachelor's degree at Arizona State University.

Nearly 90% of the company's US coffeehouses have at least one partner enrolled in the programme, with scheme covering tuition costs before employees need to pay.

Starbucks also provides continuous learning and development opportunities to help its partners – its name for employees – grow their careers. 

"For more than 50 years we've believed in the power of business to make a positive impact and our teams work every day to translate that idea into action," says Kelly Goodejohn, Chief Sustainability and Social Impact Officer at Starbucks.

Social impact investments

Alongside employee-focused initiatives, the company has invested more than US$100m in its FoodShare hunger relief programme, an investment that sits alongside US$200m in coffee sustainability and more than US$325m in renewable energy projects.

"It was a year of significant progress. This includes achieving several ambitious multi-year goals, in some cases ahead of schedule," says Kelly.

"We know that creating a lasting impact takes time and sustained effort. The progress we made this year builds on the investments we have made over recent years."

The FoodShare programme launched in 2016, donating unsold food from US and Canada coffeehouses to hunger relief organisations. Last year, partners helped donate more than 16 million meals and reinvest US$16.4m into hunger relief initiatives.

Supply chain sustainability efforts

Coffee remains central to the company's business operations – and than 99% of Starbucks coffee was sourced in 2025 from supply chains verified to meet Coffee and Farmer Equity Practices standards.

The company developed these practices more than 20 years ago with Conservation International. The standards help assess how coffee is grown, processed and traded across the supply chain.

In 2017, Starbucks set a target to distribute 100 million coffee trees by 2025. The company has now achieved this goal, donating trees to farmers in El Salvador, Guatemala and Mexico.

The trees were bred to better withstand climate impacts and help improve productivity. Since 2019, the company has reduced its Scope 1 and 2 market-based greenhouse gas emissions by 17%.

Environmental reduction targets

Starbucks has continued to meet 100% of the electricity needs of all company-operated coffeehouses globally, excluding China, through a mix of power purchase agreements, renewable energy certificates and direct investments.

The company also has a target to achieve a 50% absolute reduction in Scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, from a financial year 2019 baseline – a goal it says it is actively reassasing . 

To date, FoodShare has helped donate nearly 122 million meals and reinvested more than US$102.7m into programmes fighting hunger. The company has also invested US$50m in anchor investments in two WaterEquity funds to increase access to clean water.

Kelly adds on LinkedIn: "Progress isn't always linear, and some of the challenges we're working to address are complex. But I'm encouraged by the momentum we're building and grateful to everyone who made this progress possible."