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McDonald's vs Starbucks

On overall TruNorth grade, Starbucks scores higher (McDonald's: F, Starbucks: B). Both graded from public records across nine values categories.

F
McDonald's
32.4/100
B
Starbucks
50.6/100

Political donations

McDonald's

FEC: $27K PAC donations; 46% to Republican, 54% to Democratic committees. [CA CalAccess + NY COELIG + TX Ethics adds state-level totals.]

Starbucks

FEC: $166K in executive political donations; partisan lean Republican +23 across 8 executive donors. [CA CalAccess + NY COELIG + TX Ethics adds state-level totals.]

Environment

McDonald's

environmental violation: $60K in federal penalties (Violation Tracker).

Starbucks

CDP Climate Change: A- (2024) — leadership-band environmental disclosure with validated targets.

Labor

McDonald's

77 federal penalties totaling $45.8M since 2000 (Violation Tracker). Supply-chain signals: KnowTheChain 30/100; CHRB 9.5/26; UK MS statement; AU MS statement.

Starbucks

40 federal penalties totaling $91.3M since 2000 (Violation Tracker). Supply-chain signals: KnowTheChain 51/100; CHRB 13/26; TVPRA exposure; UK MS statement; AU MS statement.

DEI

McDonald's

EEO-1 workforce demographics on federal record (FY2016, DOL OFCCP FOIA release): 332 US employees — 58.7% women, 18.4% racial/ethnic minorities; management 90.9% women, 18.2% minorities.

Starbucks

HRC Corporate Equality Index: 100/100 — Equality 100 Leader (2025). Top-rated LGBTQ+ workplace policies, benefits, and culture. JUST Capital JUST 100 — ranked #64 of Russell 1000 (2025) for treatment of workers, customers, communities, environment. Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index member (2024) — transparent on female leadership, equal pay, inclusive culture. As You Sow Gender Equality Funds — equal-pay attainment + disclosure leader. [as-you-sow-funds] HRC Corporate Equality Index 100/100 (2025) — top-tier LGBTQ+ workplace equality rating.

Charity

McDonald's

$145M reported corporate giving in 2024 (~0.55% of revenue) via Ronald McDonald House Charities.

Starbucks

$45M reported corporate giving in 2024 (~0.12% of revenue) via Starbucks Foundation. JUST Capital JUST 100 — ranked #64 of Russell 1000 (2025) for treatment of workers, customers, communities, environment. Drucker Institute Management Top 250 — ranked #32 (2024) on customer satisfaction, employee engagement, innovation, social responsibility, and financial strength. Operates the Starbucks Foundation: $24.0M in charitable contributions, gifts & grants paid (FY2023, IRS Form 990-PF).

Animal testing

McDonald's

BBFAW 2024 Tier 3 — established management approach across species; gaps in pork gestation-crate phase-out reporting. Open Wing Alliance: ~80% cage-free progress reported toward 2025 US deadline. [BBFAW Tier 3 · Cage-free on track · MSC certified]

Starbucks

BBFAW 2024 Tier 3 — global cage-free egg + crate-free pork commitments with annual progress reporting. CIWF Good Egg Award — 100% cage-free egg policy met globally. [BBFAW Tier 3 · CIWF Award · Cage-free fulfilled]

Firearms

McDonald's

No public record found.

Starbucks

No public record found.

Privacy

McDonald's

Terms-of-service privacy grade E (very poor) via ToS;DR (tosdr.org), CC BY-SA 3.0 — transformed to TruNorth's scale.

Starbucks

State regulator action: FL AG (most recent 2025-12-19). ~$1.5M in known settlements. Attorney General James Uthmeier Sues Starbucks for Illegal Race-Based Quota Policies

Executive pay

McDonald's

CEO-to-median-worker pay ratio 82:1 (median employee pay $19,020; CEO total compensation $10K) — SEC proxy statement (DEF 14A, 2026).

Starbucks

CEO-to-median-worker pay ratio 794:1 (median employee pay $34,699) — SEC proxy statement (DEF 14A, 2026).

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