Starbucks names Mars executive as its new chief sustainability officer

Mars Petcare sustainability chief Marika McCauley Sine, who has a strong background in human rights, was hired as the new global chief sustainability officer at Starbucks. She’s replacing Michael Kobori, who is retiring at the end of 2024 after five years in the role.

McCauley Sine stepped into her new position Nov. 18. She reports to Michelle Burns, executive vice president of global coffee and sustainability at Starbucks, which is consistent with the current organization. Kobori will stay through December during the transition, a spokesperson confirmed. Starbucks offered no statement on McCauley Sine’s hiring.

“I am inspired to help advance the Starbucks legacy of doing business with humanity and fostering connection, opportunity, and joy through exceptional coffee,” McCauley Sine said in a Nov. 7 LinkedIn post disclosing her appointment.

McCauley Sine has a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard Kennedy School. She started her career addressing poverty in Southeast Asian communities with Oxfam America, the well-known human rights organization. Then, she spent five years working in public policy and sustainability with Coca-Cola before joining Mars in February 2015 as director of human rights.

In May 2020, McCauley Sine was named vice president for Mars global sustainability team and chief sustainability officer for Mars Petcare, the second largest global pet food company with an estimated $20 billion in annual sales. Privately held Mars reported $50 billion in 2023 revenue.

Previous accomplishments

During McCauley Sine’s leadership, Mars Petcare introduced a line of insect-based cat food in the U.K. produced using renewable energy and food waste and experimented with circular business models for other products, including cat litter. 

“I hope that the strong foundations we’ve laid together will enable even greater sustainability success in the years ahead, and will continue to help deliver on the powerful Mars purpose and principles,” she said.

As a company, Mars has promised a 50 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, compared with 2015 baseline. So far, it has managed a cut of 16 percent. 

Background in human rights

McCauley Sine’s human rights experience should serve her well at Starbucks, which buys 3 percent of the world’s coffee through a program launched in 2004 with Conservation International called Coffee and Farmer Equity (C.A.F.E) Practices. C.A.F.E. certifies farmers and suppliers based on more than 200 metrics, from financial reporting to protecting workers’ rights and conserving water and biodiversity.

Starbucks has pledged to be carbon neutral for its coffee supply chain by 2030. So far, the company has distributed 90 million coffee trees to its suppliers that produce higher yields on less land, reducing related emissions.

McCauley Sine’s predecessor Kobori was vice president of sustainability at Levi Strauss & Co. before becoming Starbucks’ first chief sustainability officer in January 2020. In a Nov. 17 LinkedIn post, Kobori said he would like to support the next generation of sustainability professionals after taking a six-month sabbatical.