Chick-fil-A: Environmental Stewardship

Environmental Stewardship

Our Corporate Purpose calls for us to be "a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us" and "to have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A." With this in mind, Chick-fil-A cares about and is committed to being good stewards of the environment, as well as the communities in which we operate.

While we are still very early in our environmental sustainability journey, our efforts are focused on four key areas of innovation:

Cup recycling

Energy and water efficiency in existing restaurants

Sustainable new restaurant development

Sustainable supply chain

We plan to continue our journey through the implementation of several sustainable initiatives in each of these areas in an effort to reduce our environmental footprint.

Packaging

All of our napkins, trayliners and Kid's Meal bags are made from 100% recycled content.
Chick-fil-A foam cups are made from polystyrene, which, unlike traditional cold paper cups, can be recycled where facilities exist.
We currently recycle our foam cups in more than 100 Chick-fil-A restaurants, including all of our locations in California, and plan to extend the program to the entire chain by the end of 2014.
Some restaurants have incorporated a more robust recycling program test that not only includes recycling our foam cups but also cardboard, plastic bottles, bags and containers.
- Our hope is that what we learn in this test will translate into best practices that can be applied in existing and future restaurants.
We are continuing to review our overall packaging strategy and work with our suppliers to find the best recycling methods to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills.

Our Cups

The most common question we receive in regard to our environmental impact is about our foam cups. At Chick-fil-A, we care about serving our customers and protecting the environment. The polystyrene foam cup is a great example of our two-fold commitment.

We continually receive positive customer feedback on the insulating properties of our cups. Through research and tests of a number of "environmentally-friendly" cup options, we have concluded that none serve our customers as well as the foam cup.

One thing that makes our current cups stand out is that they are recyclable where facilities exist. Most paper cups used in our industry are not recyclable at all, as they are coated with a substance designed to reduce leakage. Additionally, most common paper cups will not break down over time in a landfill.

Foam cup recycling is a major focus area in our environmental journey and also where Chick-fil-A can have the most immediate impact. We currently recycle our foam cups in more than 90 Chick-fil-A restaurants, which include all of our free-standing restaurants in California. We also have restaurants recycling cups in Salt Lake City, Ft. Worth, Raleigh, Baltimore, Atlanta, and Arkansas. In 2013, we plan to add another 400 restaurants to the program, and our goal is to complete chain-wide implementation by the end of 2014.

Energy and Water Conservation

By the end of 2012, approximately 900 of our Restaurants will receive energy efficiency retrofits, which include the installation of more efficient lighting systems, energy saving refrigration retrofits and faucet water restrictors.
We are evaluating new technologies which may reduce electricity consumption.
We are capturing energy efficiency best practices to incorporate into our routine training programs.
New restaurant designs are also incorporating numerous efficiency enhancements -- from water conserving ice machines to energy saving windows and window frames.

Examples include:

Enhanced building controls
Variable speed exhaust ventilation hoods
More efficient refrigeration systems
Higher efficiency lighting

Restaurant Design and Construction

In March of 2011, we opened a unique, new Chick-fil-A restaurant at Montgomery Plaza in Fort Worth, Texas. This particular location was designed with the environment in mind. Specifically, it was our first Restaurant designed to meet the standards of the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED^®) certification program.

We are proud to announce that in December 2011 our Montgomery Plaza Restaurant was LEED^® Gold certified and was the first restaurant in Fort Worth to receive this designation.

This restaurant has been – and will continue to be – a living laboratory for us. What we learn from Montgomery Plaza will be applied to new Restaurants going forward, as well as existing Restaurants when feasible.

Since opening in March 2011, Chick-fil-A at Montgomery Plaza has revealed a number of energy conservation measures that can and will be applied to many of our existing Restaurants over the course of 2012. These seemingly small changes, including more efficient lighting, water aerators and HVAC controls, will make a large impact.

Also due largely in part to our success at Montgomery Plaza, the construction of all new Chick-fil-A Restaurants going forward will incorporate the use of recycled materials in several areas. In an effort to learn even more about how we can be better stewards of the environment, Chick-fil-A intends to begin construction on four additional LEED Restaurants in 2012.

Key sustainable features at Montgomery Plaza include:

Water Usage
Both the restroom facilities and the kitchen at this Restaurant utilize low-flow fixtures. An underground cistern (the size of a swimming pool!) collects rainwater for use in landscape irrigation. As a result, Chick-fil-A at Montgomery Plaza uses 40% less water than the average Chick-fil-A.

Energy Efficiency
The Restaurant features skylights in the dining area and windows in the kitchen, as well as the installation of energy efficient appliances. As a result, this particular Restaurant uses 14% less energy versus industry standards.

Air Quality
Materials used in construction at Montgomery Plaza were specially chosen to not emit harmful gasses. As a result, this Restaurant has 30% more fresh air than a conventional building.

Waste
20% of the dollars spent on building materials for Chick-fil-A at Montgomery Plaza were spent on products with recycled content. In addition, more than 50% of construction waste was diverted from the landfill. Cardboard and foam cups are being recycled, which reduces about 40% of this restaurant’s landfill volume.

Supply Chain

We recognize that Chick-fil-A can make an impact by implementing changes in the way our Restaurants receive the supplies and ingredients necessary for everyday operations. We are evaluating efficiencies in ingredient packaging, transportation and materials, and have asked our suppliers to join us on our environmental stewardship journey.

Thus far, we’ve identified several simple but impactful changes to our supply chain. For example, the “two crucial pickles” on the Original Chicken Sandwich were previously purchased by our Restaurants in large plastic buckets. By switching from these buckets to pickles packaged in small plastic bags in a test, we reduced the amount of plastic used without sacrificing the taste of our signature sandwich.

Future Opportunities

At Chick-fil-A, we’re committed to continually working with our Operators and their Team Members, as
well as our Staff and suppliers, to evaluate and further develop sustainable solutions. Please check
this site for future updates on our progress as we develop and implement long-term solutions for
environmental stewardship.

LEED^® is a trademarked by the U.S. Green Building Council and is used with permission.