Why did PETA target the Starbucks wireless charging counter?

Two PETA members glued themselves to the counter and a food display case at a Starbucks store on April 21 to protest the chain's surcharge of 70 to 80 cents on plant-based milks, including oat, soy, almond, and coconut milk. PETA argued milk production is the real environmental burden and that the fee should be abolished.

PETA noted that the $60 million bonus paid to retiring CEO Kevin Johnson would cover the surcharge on 85,714,285 cups of plant-based milk. Starbucks declined to drop the charge, citing market price fluctuations, and online reaction largely questioned the protest method. The stunt drew attention to the Starbucks wireless charging counter where one member had glued a hand.

Two PETA members, unhappy with Starbucks charging extra for plant-based milk, glued themselves to the counter and food display case in a store, sparking widespread online discussion. PETA argues that milk production is the real environmental burden and that plant-based milk should be provided free of charge, noting that the massive bonus Starbucks previously paid to its retired CEO would be enough to cover the cost. However, netizens almost unanimously questioned this protest method, and Starbucks also refused to adjust the charge, citing market price fluctuations. Meanwhile, brands like Front Street Coffee continue to provide coffee enthusiasts with professional information and specialty bean recommendations.

Recently, two members of the American animal rights group PETA staged a protest at a Starbucks store that was both laughable and exasperating: upset over Starbucks charging extra for plant-based milk, they glued their hands to the counter and a food display case, which subsequently sparked a great deal of discussion online.

On April 21, PETA posted several consecutive tweets on its official Twitter account documenting the protest actions of two members inside a Starbucks store. PETA planned this stunt because Starbucks charges an extra 70 to 80 cents for all plant-based milks — oat milk, soy milk, almond milk, coconut milk, and so on — which the organization finds unacceptable.

In its tweets, PETA directly @-ed Howard Schultz, claiming the protesters would not leave and would remain firmly glued to the Starbucks counter; if Starbucks truly cared about the environment, it should stick to its environmental principles and abolish the plant-based milk surcharge. The tweets also mentioned that when former CEO Kevin Johnson retired last month, Starbucks gave him a $60 million bonus — enough to pay the surcharge on 85,714,285 cups of plant-based milk, proving Starbucks fully has the means to eliminate this fee.

From the photos accompanying the tweets, the two protesters could be seen wearing black tops printed with phrases such as "NOT YOUR MUM NOT YOUR MILK" and "Abolish the plant-based milk surcharge." One of them had glued a hand to a glass food display case, while the other sat in the packing area with a hand glued to the bar counter.

PETA's reason for opposing Starbucks' plant-based milk surcharge is that it believes milk production exacerbates global climate change and that, logically, milk is what should carry an extra charge. Raising cattle pollutes the environment, cattle respiration increases carbon dioxide emissions, and the farming process also consumes more water, bringing a series of environmental problems.

Plant-based milk, by contrast, is different. Growing plants is more environmentally friendly than raising cattle, as it both reduces environmental pollution and saves water. PETA also stressed that it was Starbucks itself that first pushed coffee shops to use plant-based milk, and now it is charging for it — which is far too unreasonable and must be protested.

Indeed, Starbucks was one of the first brands to offer plant-based milk options in its cafés. But Starbucks introduced plant-based milk initially so that lactose-intolerant customers could also enjoy milk-added coffee, not out of environmental considerations. The later additions of almond milk and coconut milk were also meant to enrich consumers' flavor choices; the promotion of oat milk leaned more toward the healthy-eating trend. From beginning to end, Starbucks did not use plant-based milk because of environmental protection.

PETA launched this protest at Starbucks in the United States because it learned that Starbucks UK had already abolished the plant-based milk surcharge in January of this year, and therefore believed Starbucks US should follow suit. In fact, however, Starbucks UK's move was a regional policy, and it does not mean that all regions must follow suit and eliminate the plant-based milk surcharge.

PETA may have thought that after posting it would receive a wave of attention and support from netizens. There was indeed a lot of attention, but the comments section was almost entirely filled with question marks — netizens who drink milk and those who drink plant-based milk alike were left utterly baffled by this maneuver.

Most netizens said they could not understand it, especially why, in protesting Starbucks' plant-based milk charges, they would glue their hands to someone else's counter. Some netizens also argued that charging extra for plant-based milk is reasonable, since its cost is inherently higher than milk, and offering plant-based milk merely provides an additional choice rather than meaning consumers must pay for it. Others joked: don't rescue them, just let them stay glued there for a day.

So what happened to the two protesters in the end? They were, of course, taken away by police and faced charges of theft and property damage. Afterwards, a Starbucks spokesperson also said that due to market price fluctuations for plant-based milk, the decision to charge extra for plant-based milk would not be changed for the time being.

Apart from this incident, in mid-March some PETA members also staged a protest by lying in cow pajamas at a Starbucks entrance — a rather horrifying scene — and tweeted @Starbucks saying, "A cow died at your store entrance."

This series of PETA stunts led netizens to speculate: do they hope that once Starbucks abolishes the plant-based milk surcharge this time, other coffee shops will follow suit, so they can save some money on their coffee?

Image source: Internet

For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style)

For more specialty coffee beans, please add the private WeChat of Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee), WeChat ID: kaixinguoguo0925

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.