Wendy's Drive Through
Wendy's Drive Through
Climate and Energy

Our Goals

Compared to a 2019 base year, by 2030, Wendy’s aims to reduce:

  • Absolute Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 47%
  • Scope 3 GHG emissions from purchased goods and services by 55% per metric ton of goods 
  • Scope 3 GHG emissions from franchises by 55% per restaurant
  • Scope 3 GHG forest, land and agricultural (FLAG) emissions by 33.3%1

Wendy's Scope 1 and 2 emissions are associated with our Company-operated restaurants and the Restaurant Support Center (RSC), while emissions from Wendy's franchise-operated restaurants and our supply chain contribute to our Scope 3 emissions.

 

Wendy's Scope 1 and 2 science-based target aims to reduce emissions at a pace consistent with keeping warming below 1.5°C, which aligns to the latest science. Our Scope 3 targets are aligned to SBTi's well below 2°C criteria.

 

Wendy's also commits to no deforestation across our primary commodities most at risk of deforestation, with a target date of December 31, 2025.

An illustration depicting clean energy, including windmills and solar panels
Our Climate Plan
Energy Efficiency
  • Improving energy efficiency with new equipment retrofits and upgrades
  • Leveraging Wendy’s more efficient Global Next Gen design standard for new builds 
  • Engaging franchisees to reduce emissions through the Wendy’s Energy Challenge
  • Reducing fuel use in Wendy’s Company-operated fleet
Purchasing Practices
  • Updating procurement and operational policies and considering sustainability in procurement decisions
  • Collaborating with suppliers, in scope for Wendy’s responsible sourcing goal, to identify ways to reduce emissions or sequester carbon in their operations and shared supply chain
Agriculture
  • Exploring place-based projects that assist suppliers in adopting more climate-friendly practices and are tailored to local and/or regional ecosystems 
  • Evaluating projects to reduce emissions in grazing and feeding, while maintaining or improving animal welfare
Low-GWP Refrigerants
  • Transitioning to refrigerants with a lower global warming potential (GWP)
Renewable Energy
  • Identifying projects that enable a renewable energy transition
  • Sourcing more renewable electricity for Company-Operated restaurants and expanding access to renewable electricity procurement opportunities for franchisees
Benchmarking Our Emissions

Wendy's Scope 3 emissions reduction goals align to a 2019 baseline year and incorporate approximately 95% of Wendy's Scope 3 emissions, with purchased goods and services (PG&S) from our supply chain and franchised restaurants comprising nearly 85% and 10% of the Company's Scope 3 emissions, respectively. The bulk of our supply chain emissions are from food and packaging, with beef, chicken, dairy and pork representing our most significant emissions categories.

Pie chart showing the 2019 Scope 3 Emissions for Purchased Goods and Services. Beef is 60%. Dairy is 14%. Other food is 21%. Packaging is 1%. Other is 4%.
inside Wendy's restaurant
Energy Conservation Initiatives

Keeping food fresh, cooking and serving it and creating a safe, comfortable environment for our customers and crew requires energy. As part of our sustainability mission, Wendy’s is working on multiple fronts to reexamine and reduce the ways our restaurants consume energy in their day-to-day operations.

Renewable Energy Procurement

Sourcing renewable energy for our Company-operated restaurants is an important component of our emissions reduction strategy.

 

Field of solar panels absorbing sunlight

Our Climate Journey

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1Target includes FLAG emission and removals.
2Scope 1 emissions are defined as direct company GHG emissions; Scope 2 as indirect emissions derived from energy sources (electricity, steam, heat and cooling); and Scope 3 is all indirect upstream and downstream emissions that occur in the value chain, excluding indirect emissions associated with power generation (which is included in scope 2). As part of the lifecycle assessment we are conducting on our most material ingredients, we will also identify areas for GHG emission reductions. That assessment will further identify areas for climate goal setting, identify relevant and material Scope 3 GHG emission categories for Wendy’s and help to develop a roadmap for Scope 3 reporting. All of this information will help inform our Science Based Target for our GHG roadmap.
For additional information regarding standards, methodologies, assumptions and calculations used for emissions analysis, please see our most recent Corporate Responsibility and CDP Reports.