Sustainable, environmentally responsible, and green—three characteristics one does not logically pair with fast food. Built on a model of large scale, low cost, high energy, and intense fuel and agricultural use, fast food strains the earth’s resources and leaves a giant environmental footprint. So it makes sense that there are plenty of skeptics who think that green fast food is an oxymoron.
But these days, consumers, shareholders, and stakeholders are holding more and more companies accountable for their environmental footprint and this public demand is starting to include fast food. So though it may sound a bit far fetched for these restaurants to go green, they’ve got to start somewhere. And perhaps the typical fast food business practices are a good place to start.
Big Mac, Big Impact
Because of their size, fast food chains account for a huge amount of resource consumption and waste. Out of all American retailers, the restaurant industry overall is the largest consumer of electricity. Fast-food packaging accounts for an estimated 20 percent of litter in the U.S. Companies are starting to catch on however, and the smart ones are beginning to realize that sustainable business practices—going green—also affect something else that is green: their bottom line.
So what is a green restaurant? The Green Restaurant Association (GRA) is a third party non-profit that works to certify restaurants as green. By GRA standards, a green restaurant is one that is Styrofoam free, has a full scale recycling program, has made four new environmental changes, and is committed to make four new pro-environmental changes every year.
A fairly trendy “green move” has been for restaurants to provide eco-friendly containers and wrappers in place of Styrofoam. However, a survey by Fast Casual magazine showed 40 percent of restaurants surveyed were still using Styrofoam takeout containers. An obvious and relatively easy change it seems—but clearly, there is still a long way to go. And the larger the corporation, the more difficult these changes can be. Starbucks, for example, recently decided to mandate that the cups in all of its stores be made from recycled materials and be recyclable. But the sheer magnitude of such a change for a corporate giant is a bit like turning the Titanic. At last report, this simple change would take four years.
The simplest and most impactful way for a restaurant to become greener is to change light bulbs to energy efficient bulbs and to train staff in the methods of conserving energy. Though not an extremely exciting change, it does offer a win/win situation—less environmental drain, more dollars added back to the bottom line.
Eat Green
If you find yourself wondering if one of your favorite restaurants is adopting greener methods and becoming more environmentally responsible, you can ask several questions: Do they have a recycling program? Do they purchase green products? Where do they stand on human rights and animal welfare? And do they disclose any of this information?
There are some big brands that tend to embellish their efforts. If you think they’re not living up to their word, chances are they aren’t. Try to locate someone who can put you in touch with actual disclosure reports with real numbers.
There is a company that is now reporting on twenty-three fast food chains in select cities. Greenopia ranks restaurants based on five criteria:
1. Sustainability reporting—a corporate report that outlines their sustainability plan, goals, and timeline and an easy-to-find Web site
2. Green building design
3. Supply chain
4. Recycling and take back programs
5. Purchase of green products
Greenopia awards restaurants “green leaves” in their rating system, for a total of four leaves.
Greenopia’s top three restaurants are all relatively small chains:
Pizza Fusion (75 stores)
Pizza Fusion, whose mottos is “Saving the Planet One Pizza at a Time,” took a multifaceted approach to earn its four leaves. According to Greenopia, all their projects are LEED certified and/or have substantial elements of green building design incorporated in them. Also, their pizza is made with organic ingredients, the boxes compostable, they deliver by hybrid delivery vehicles, and they have a take back incentive for used pizza boxes—a discount on your next order.
Le Pain Quotidien (30 stores)
Le Pain Quotidien, which also earned four leaves, uses organic and local ingredients, incorporates green building design into its stores, composts food waste, and uses its spent food oil for biodiesel.
This chain earned three leaves by using local ingredients, implementing a comprehensive recycling program, using biodegradable utensils, and offsetting its energy use with wind credits.
In comparison, further down Greenopia’s list you will find Starbucks at the top of the corporate giants:
Starbucks (11,434 stores)
Starbucks earned two leaves, even though it has been strung up in the past for its poor supply chain and environmental record. They have begun to add some green building designs to some of their stores, improved their supply chain by purchasing some fair trade coffee, and are using recycled and recyclable cups and sleeves.
Chipotle (704 stores)
Chipotle also earned two leaves for using natural meats, hormone-free chicken, and some organic beans. It has one LEED certified restaurant and others stores have some element of green design. It also has biodegradable utensils.
Of the much larger stores, there were only two that earned one leaf—Subway and McDonalds. Subway has improved its energy efficiency in transport and building design and has recycling in some of its stores. McDonalds uses some recycled materials in their packaging and has a waste diversion program. It sources beef from responsible sources with regard to rainforest degradation.
Companies like Burger King, Jack in the Box, KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and Wendy’s earned no leaves at all—some do have some sort of environmental program, though it is very minimal. Others don’t do much at all, though some are planning to implement one in the future.
Clearly the shift to go green in the fast food world is happening slowly, but even small changes, because of how big some of these places are, could make a huge difference.
责任编辑：linshi
