The Wendy's Co. continued to improve its environmental and social goals in 2020, as indicated in the company's 2020 Corporate Responsibility Report, according to a press release. The reported offered an assessment of progress and several new goals related to the company's Wendy's Good Done Right" strategy.

"Everything we do revolves around our vision of becoming the world's most thriving and beloved restaurant brand," Wendy's President and CEO Todd Penegor said in the press release. "Throughout 2020, our teams remained focused on taking care of our customers and the Wendy's family while making a positive, lasting difference in the broader communities we serve."

For the first time, Wendy's is recognizing leading reporting standards such as the Global Reporting Initiative and Sustainability Accounting Standards Board available in the report. The company also shared how its material impacts align with the globally recognized UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Later this year, Wendy's will also report to the CDP for Climate for the first time.

New goals include:

  • Food: Responsibly source Wendy's top 10 priority food categories by 2030. The company is now formalizing its approach by developing environmental and social criteria, which are informed by a lifecycle assessment of priority food categories, Wendy's Animal Care Standards Program, a human rights risk assessment and through collaboration with key supply chain partners. These criteria are intended to allow Wendy's to assess current status, set new targets and demonstrate progress and transparency through ongoing reporting. The top 10 priority food categories, determined by spend and impact, include products such as beef, chicken, pork, dairy, eggs, produce and beverages.
  • People: Increase the representation of underrepresented populations among company leadership and management, as well as the diversity of franchisees. Areas of focus include increasing representation of those who identify as female and persons of color, as well as driving an inclusive mindset and culture at all levels of the organization.
  • Footprint: Sustainably source 100% of customer-facing packaging by 2026. To accomplish this goal, over the next five years, Wendy's will optimize customer-facing packaging and transition to sustainable options including items that: have higher recycled content; use fewer raw materials; adhere to an established restricted substances list; are recyclable, compostable or reusable; and are sourced from areas that do not contribute to deforestation. The company will also track and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and set a science-based target by the end of 2023.

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