In 1997, Starbucks stared a partnership with Conservation International leading to ethical coffee principles. This partnership is one of the greatest things that has happened to Starbucks, because everyone would benefit, from the employees to the suppliers themselves. The company cares for the farmers as well as for their communities and environment, this is why sustainable development is emphasized, this means that Starbucks pays coffee farmers a fair price for the beans; that the coffee is grown in an ecologically sound manner, and that Starbucks invests in the farming communities were its coffees are produced.

As mentioned before, Starbucks invests in farming communities, for example Starbucks provides cash and in-kind contributions valued at $18 million, or 1.7 Percent of pre-tax earnings. They also funded education initiatives in China and provided grants in local communities, including a partnership with Youth Venture. It also supports education initiatives in Guatemala. One of the most important things that Starbucks is doing for the community is a multimillion-dollar commitment to support a variety of clean-water initiatives in Kenya, Ethiopia, Indonesia and India.

These programs are a vital part of Starbucks marketing program. It recognizes that people will be loyal customers to a company which takes its social responsibility seriously. To ensure that the public is aware of these activities the company should engage in a search engine optimization strategy to ensure that its website comes up when people search for terms related to its humanitarian programs. In addition a TV ad campaign focusing on these programs would also be beneficial.