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Dunkin' Donuts dips deeper into rainforest preservation

Dunkin' Donuts, announced that by the end of this year, it will only purchase espresso beans for its stores in the U.S. and 16 international markets from farmers whose operations are certified by the Rainforest Alliance.

July 14, 2016

Dunkin' Donuts has made a bigger commitment to protect the world's critical rainforests this week. The chain announced in a news release that by the end of this year, it will only purchase espresso beans for its stores in the U.S. and its 16 international markets from farmers whose operations are certified by the Rainforest Alliance. 

It's a big win for sustainable farming and protection of the forests that scientists often refer to as the "lungs of the world." Rainforest Alliance is an international nonprofit that works to conserve that resource. The organization's certification for farms that grow coffee beans helps further wildlife protection, soil and waterway conservation, and improve the quality of life for farmers and their communities.

According to a Rainforest Alliance Impacts Report this year, certification not only helps small farmers in and around the rainforests of the world, but also helps those typically small family farm operations to both grow more products and improve the profit they make from those crops, while simultaneously improving overall environmental quality, community health, working conditions and access to education and healthcare. 

Dunkin' Donuts' latest commitment to use only Rainforest Alliance-certifed espresso beans is the most recent commitment by the chain to improve environmental health through its operations and purchasing. Dunkin' Donuts previously committed to buying and serving about 30 percent of its dark-roasted coffee, iced green tea and Columbian packaged coffee from Rainforest Alliance-certified farmers. 

Likewise, for the past six years, the company has provided more than $260,000 to the Alliance to assist with projects on Colombian, Guatamalan, Ethiopian and Indian coffee and tea farms. That money has helped train and certify more than 4,000 coffee farms, which now abide by strict agricultural criteria that enhances rainforest preservation and prevents climate change. 

"By prioritizing sustainably sourced coffee, Dunkin' Donuts is renewing their commitment to being environmentally, socially, and economically responsible," said Rainforest Alliance Markets Transformation Director Alex Morgan in a news release this week.