The environment and the farmers are essentially the backbones of Dunkin’s coffee business, so the company has always been looking for ways to protect Mother Nature and uplift the livelihood of coffee growers. To take this social responsibility up a notch, the coffee and doughnut chain has launched the Dunkin’ Drive-To Sustainability Program.
What is the Dunkin’ Drive-To Sustainability Program?
Dunkin’s Drive-To Sustainability Program is comprised of various projects that benefit the environment and coffee farmers with an end goal of using 100% responsibly sourced coffee in all of its locations in the United States by 2025.
As part of the program, Dunkin’ has already teamed with like-minded organizations to support the regions where its coffee grows, and make a difference in the lives and livelihoods of coffee farmers and producers.
The program is made up of three pillars: Verification, Partnerships, and Improvement.
Dunkin’ x Enveritas
For the Verification pillar, Dunkin’ is joining forces with Enveritas, a 501(c)(3) non-profit founded to overcome systemic barriers that prevent the application of proven solutions for ending poverty among smallholder coffee growers.
By leveraging its Coffee Policy and third-party verification with Enveritas, the company seeks to improve standards with U.S. roasters and international licensees, audit its U.S. coffee supply chain to ensure policy compliance, and track key performance indicators toward continuous improvement efforts.
Projects under the Partnerships and Improvement pillars
Long before the launch of the sustainability program, the chain has already been working on projects that fall under the program’s Partnerships and Improvement pillars. Below are some of them:
Donation to One Tree Planted
In 2021, the chain’ supported the planting of 450,000 trees in coffee-growing regions of Honduras and Guatemala with a donation to One Tree Planted, a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to helping the environment by planting trees in countries around the world.
Dunkin’ x Louis Dreyfus Company
Through its Farmworker Training Project in collaboration with the global merchant firm Louis Dreyfus Company, Dunkin’ trained farmers and farmworkers in Honduras, enhancing the chain’s suppliers’ abilities to make improvements on sustainability issues.
World Coffee Research sponsor
The chain is a leading sponsor of World Coffee Research (WCR), a non-profit agricultural research organization that helps boost coffee sustainability through agricultural science. A percentage of sales from every pound of Original Blend coffee beans sold to Dunkin’ franchisees for use in Dunkin’ restaurants goes to WCR.
The Sustainable Coffee Challenge participant
Since 2018, the company has been a part of The Sustainable Coffee Challenge, a collaborative effort led by Conservation International to make coffee the world’s first sustainable agricultural product.
Equal Origins’ Virtual Learning Journey access provider
In an effort to empower women in coffee, the company has supported providing coffee suppliers in Guatemala and Colombia with access to Equal Origins’ Virtual Learning Journey, a tool for roasters and brands to involve their Origin Partners in programming that increases gender equity awareness, action, and impact.
Dunkin’ x Olam Food Ingredients
In collaboration with the global agri-business company Olam Food Ingredients, the chain, over the next three years, will help 350 coffee farming families in Santa Barbara and Comayagua, Honduras become more economically sustainable and better environmental stewards through training and improved crop yields.