Dublin, Ohio — On January 3, 2017, The Wendy’s® Company released a 2016 annual update on sustainability initiatives and announced plans for continued progress in 2017.
In 2011, Wendy’s began a journey to reimage a majority of its North American restaurants into a more contemporary and welcoming dining environment. To date, more than 1,500 restaurants have been remodeled and more than 250 have been newly built by the company and its franchisees, all of which have created new restaurant jobs and economic growth through construction and development in communities.
Wendy’s plans to build 1,000 new restaurants by 2020 — each improving its environmental footprint by running with more energy-efficient equipment, lighting and building materials and bringing millions of dollars in state and local tax revenue into communities.
In December 2015, Wendy’s joined the U.S. Department of Energy Better Buildings Challenge, setting a public goal to improve energy efficiency by reducing the amount of energy use per transaction in company-owned and -operated restaurants by 20% by 2025. By the end of 2015, Wendy’s reduced its energy use by 6% against a 2012 baseline. Wendy’s also became the first restaurant company to encourage individual franchisees to join the Better Buildings Challenge. So far, 15 franchisees representing more than 1,000 Wendy’s restaurants are part of the Challenge.
Further, the company received two environmental awards for energy efficiency and joined EPA’s ENERGY STAR program as an ENERGY STAR partner in 2016. This year, with the same goal as the DOE’s Better Buildings Challenge, the company created the Wendy’s Energy Challenge. In 2017, while continuing to promote the Better Buildings Challenge to its U.S. franchisees, Wendy’s will also promote its own energy challenge to franchisees outside the U.S. to expand and promote energy efficiency throughout its global footprint.
The Wendy’s Company is the world’s third-largest quick-service hamburger restaurant chain. The Wendy’s system includes more than 6,500 restaurants in 29 countries and U.S. territories. For more information, visit www.wendys.com.
SOURCE: The Wendy’s Company