News

Wendy's joins sustainable packaging group

February 26, 2019

Wendy's Company is partnering with NextGen Consortium to increase the brand's use of sustainable packaging over the course of a multi-year relationship with other foodservice industry leaders, originally convened by Closed Loop Partners' Center for the Circular Economy. 

Wendy's joined the consortium as a supporting partner with other industry leaders to address single-use food packaging waste. The group is now executing an initiative called the NextGen Cup Challenge, focused on finding solutions that optimize the hot and cold fiber cups used by Wendy's and many foodservice operations. Winning options are set to be made public this week. 

"At Wendy's, we know that our customers are increasingly aware of packaging waste and its impact on the environment, and they're already doing their part to be more conscious about their product use and recycling habits," Wendy's Chief Communications Officer Liliana Esposito, said in the release. 

Esposito used the brand's Squarely Sustainable initiative takes a four-pronged approach to sustainable operations, including:

• Use fewer unnecessary materials.
• Use certified more sustainable products.
• Spark consumer action to drive change.
• Partner with others to find solutions.

The brand stopped using Styrofoam in 2012, and recently cut a number of fiber and plastic packaging formats.