How recycling initiatives help us care for the planet
From the Chick-fil-A, Inc. Support Centers to Chick-fil-A® restaurants across the U.S. and Canada, the company’s corporate social responsibility commitment to care for the planet comes to life through a variety of recycling initiatives:
1. Embracing sustainable fashion:
Most people know that plastic bottles are recyclable, but did you know that over 34.6 million of them have been turned into uniform shirts for Chick-fil-A restaurant Team Members since 2017? It takes 19 plastic bottles to make a red Chick-fil-A polo shirt and just nine bottles for a lighter weight, blue-and-white-striped shirt.
2. Converting used cooking oil into the manufacture of renewable biodiesel fuel:
Today, 85% of Chick-fil-A restaurants currently utilize DAR PRO Solutions, a sustainable approach for repurposing used cooking oil into the manufacture of clean-burning renewable fuel. Through August 2024, participating Chick-fil-A restaurants have collectively generated over 1.5 million gallons of renewable diesel since beginning this effort.
3. Using pickle buckets to recycle pickleballs:
Chick-fil-A Rock Row in Portland, Maine, donates its extra pickle buckets to The RePickle Project, a nonprofit that collects and recycles used pickleballs so they can be transformed into other products for purchase as opposed to going to a landfill.
4. Donating to our on-campus recycling center:
Chick-fil-A, Inc. Staff at the Chick-fil-A Support Center: Buffington in Atlanta can recycle glass, textiles and foam at a recycling center on campus. The Chick-fil-A Green Team also hosts an annual “Hard to Recycle Day” and other special collection drives to collect everything from paint and outdated technology to left-over Halloween pumpkins.
5. Turning waste into art installations:
When we replaced 1,200 individual waste baskets at the Chick-fil-A Support Center: Buffington with centralized sorting stations for compost, recycling and trash, we worked with well-known Atlanta artist William Massey to use them to create a stunning art installation on campus to depict our zero-waste-to-landfill journey.
Additionally, Chick-fil-A, Inc. works with a variety of organizations to further recycling efforts that help us act as good stewards of the planet we share:
- Chick-fil-A was the first quick-service restaurant chain to join the Association of Plastic Recyclers® Recycling Demand Champions program to help drive demand for post-consumer recycled plastic.
- Chick-fil-A, Inc. is a co-founding member of the Poly Coated Paper Alliance focused on improving the recovery, recycling infrastructure and end market acceptance for this food-packaging material.
- Chick-fil-A, Inc. works with The Recycling Partnership, which helps underserved communities access recycling.
To learn more about other ways Chick-fil-A cares for the planet, visit chick-fil-a.com/corporate-social-responsibility/planet.
