Coffee plants produce fruit with seeds that are harvested, roasted, and ground into an addictive beverage known as coffee. This brew is packed with caffeine – a naturally occurring, but relatively harmless yet powerful drug – as its primary active ingredient. While large coffee companies such as Starbucks may add ingredients to increase addiction levels of their beverage, organic coffee doesn’t require additional additives because its beans were grown on soil that has not been exposed to chemicals for the three years prior to harvest – leaving no chemical residues behind on the beans themselves or in terms of protecting the environment and supporting healthy ecosystems.

At large chains such as Starbucks, organic options may only be found at select independent coffee shops; most of their coffee does not qualify as certified organic due to USDA organic standards’ exemptions and how large corporations set up their supply chains. Organic certification only requires coffee produced and roasted on dedicated facilities devoted exclusively to growing, processing and roasting organic beans; unfortunately many large coffee roasters use multiple pieces of equipment which make organic green bean preparation difficult; making it hard for consumers to buy organic coffee when buying beverages from major chains like Starbucks.

Starbucks does not source organic coffee, among other issues with their product sourcing practices. Despite their claims of caring about the world, they have an extremely poor fair trade record despite claiming otherwise and have worked behind the scenes to secure corporate-friendly conditions for global trade agreements that favor corporate interests over workers’. Furthermore, Starbucks refuses to commit exclusively organic milk usage; supports Grocery Manufacturers Association which promotes GMOs and industrial agriculture; uses preservatives, high fructose corn syrup, proplyene glycol and azodicarbonamide in their drinks – none of these issues could make their claims credible despite being so far off.

For ethical and sustainable companies, select independent coffee shops offering organic, fair trade, non-GMO beverages. Furthermore, attempt to limit paper cup usage when possible as this simple step reduces their environmental footprint significantly. Instead, purchase a reusable cup and bring it with you when visiting coffee shops; by doing this together we can make the world a better place – especially considering all of the pollution being produced by large corporations like Starbucks!