The Company continues to make advancements
toward delivering high-quality food responsibly, creating more
equitable and inclusive workplaces and reducing emissions across
Company operations and franchise restaurants
DUBLIN,
Ohio, May 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The
Wendy's Company released its 2023 Corporate Responsibility
report today, highlighting continued progress against Good Done
Right, the Company's corporate responsibility strategy. In the
report, Wendy's® details progress the Company has made across
initiatives focused on responsible sourcing, fostering equitable
workplaces and communities, and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions from restaurant operations and the supply chain. In 2023,
Wendy's also strengthened stakeholder collaboration – a key
ingredient to advancements across its Food, People and Footprint
pillars – particularly with franchisees and direct and indirect
suppliers.
"Our Good Done Right strategy is backed by action— from sourcing
our quality ingredients responsibly to engaging and making a
positive difference in our communities," said Chief Corporate
Affairs & Sustainability Officer, Liliana Esposito. "We are deliberate about
gaining greater visibility into our supply chain, making measurable
progress against our goals and transparently sharing the results of
our efforts – all possible thanks to the commitment and
collaboration of our employees, franchisees and industry
partners."
Wendy's 2023 Corporate Responsibility report demonstrates
progress against the Company's Good Done Right goals and includes
the following highlights.
Food – Delivering high-quality food responsibly and
transparently:
- Evaluated 26 of our suppliers with whom we directly do business
under Wendy's Animal Care Standards Program for animal welfare best
practices. We also extended the program deeper into our protein
supply chain, driving greater visibility into an extended supply
chain that includes more than 20,000 farms, ranches and
facilities.
- Invited 100% of suppliers in scope for our responsible sourcing
program to enroll in our self-assessment platform, which helps the
Company better understand and track supplier performance on key
environmental, social and governance metrics.
- Aligned with the U.S. Roundtable for Responsible Beef's retail
sector targets for air and GHG emissions, conservation of natural
resources and more.
- Completed more than 12,000 global Food Safety Assessments at
Wendy's restaurants in partnership with EcoSure®, a division of
Ecolab®.
People – Fostering more equitable workplaces and
communities:
- Increased the diversity of representation among senior
leadership at the Company and received recognition in the U.S. and
Canada for industry-leading
franchisee support and training as the Wendy's System continues to
grow across the globe.
- Raised more than $27 million for
the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption®, including record support
during the annual Frosty® Boo! Books® campaign, which raised an
unprecedented $9.2 million across the
Wendy's System.
- Supported Company employees by hosting more than 40 Employee
Resource Group events and implementing a new Human Capital
Management System to enable greater automation and self-service,
while also simplifying business processes.
Footprint – Delivering more with less environmental
impact:
- Decreased Company GHG emissions (Scope 1 and 2) by 26%, and
franchisee emissions by 11% per restaurant (Scope 3) – both
compared to 2019 levels.
- More than doubled the number of franchisees reporting through
Wendy's Energy Challenge, with 37 franchisees reporting energy
data* in 2023, up from 18 franchisees reporting data* in 2022. More
than 2,700 franchise-operated restaurants are participating in WEC
as of the end of 2023.
- Initiated a deforestation risk assessment to prepare for
measuring and managing forestry, land and agriculture (FLAG)
related emissions.
Wendy's recognizes leading reporting industry standards,
including the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), Sustainability
Accounting Standards Board (SASB) and United Nations Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) and strives to embed their principles and
frameworks throughout the Company's report.
For more information on Wendy's corporate responsibility work,
please visit https://www.wendys.com/whatwevalue.
About Wendy's
Wendy's was founded in 1969 by
Dave Thomas in Columbus, Ohio. Dave built his business on the
premise, "Quality Is Our Recipe®", which remains the guidepost of
the Wendy's system. Wendy's is best known for its made-to-order
square hamburgers, using fresh, never frozen beef**, freshly
prepared salads, and other signature items like chili, baked
potatoes and the Frosty dessert. The Wendy's Company (Nasdaq: WEN)
is committed to doing the right thing and making a positive
difference in the lives of others. This is most visible through the
Company's support of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption and
its signature Wendy's Wonderful Kids® program, which seeks to find
a loving, forever home for every child in the North American foster
care system. Today, Wendy's and its franchisees employ hundreds of
thousands of people across approximately 7,000 restaurants
worldwide with a vision of becoming the world's most thriving and
beloved restaurant brand. For details on franchising, connect with
us at www.wendys.com/franchising. Visit www.wendys.com and
www.squaredealblog.com for more information and connect with us on
Twitter and Instagram using @wendys, and on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/wendys.
*Franchisees reported 2022 energy data in 2023 and 2021 data in
2022.
**Fresh beef available in the contiguous U.S., Alaska and Canada.
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-wendys-company-reports-2023-corporate-responsibility-progress-302136093.html
SOURCE The Wendy's Company