Several quick-service restaurant brands recently announced packaging sustainability goals.
Under new commitments made public this month, Chipotle, Yum Brands and Dunkin’ Brands will all aim to increase materials diversion.
Chipotle is seeking to achieve a 50 percent reduction in packaging and food waste by 2020. Yum Brands, which operates KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut, will also develop a diversion goal, though the company did not lay out specifics.
Dunkin’ Brands, owner of Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin Robbins, will report on “aggressive recycling and composting goals for onsite food-service packaging (front and back of house) and recycled content goals for packaging.”
The efforts by Chipotle, Yum Brands and Dunkin’ Brands were commended by As You Sow, which has encouraged brands to improve packaging recycling.
“We are pleased to see positive momentum at large fast-food brands,” said Conrad MacKerron, senior vice president of As You Sow. “As packaging is recycled in greater volumes, its market value as a reusable raw material is more likely to increase.”
As You Sow is a nonprofit group that uses shareholder advocacy methods to campaign for social and environmental change at corporate entities.
The efforts come as increasing pressure has mounted for brands to ensure packaging and waste is diverted. A report published in March by the Carton Council indicated 91 percent of Americans expect brands to aid in the recycling of packaging.
Chipotle, Yum Brands and Dunkin’ Brands do not currently offer in-store recycling of packaging to customers at all stores.