Corporate Responsibility #1

I purchase more STUFF than I should...from more places than I should, so one of the areas I'm looking at improving is trying to make more of my purchases from socially and environmentally responsible companies, over the next few weeks I'll be taking a look at some of the high's and low's that I uncover.

I'm starting with the largest restaurant chain in the world, based on total number of outlets...if you thought McDonald's you wouldn't be alone in your assumption...but you also wouldn't be right, It's Subway! I start here because like most Americans I eat out more than I eat in. (another thing I'm working on)

Subway has over 30,000 stores across the globe, I picked up the following from their website and must say that while it's not enough, it's a great step in the right direction.


-The first SUBWAY® Eco-Store opened November 9, 2007 in Kissimmee, FL. (Two more have since opened in Oregon and more are in various design stages).
-Since August 2006, SUBWAY ® restaurants with low-flow sink aerators have saved 41 million gallons of water annually.
-Only 100% hormone free milk is served at SUBWAY ® restaurants? .
-New SUBWAY® Cards are being manufactured using 30% recycled plastic, as we continue to explore additional ways to diminish negative environmental impacts.
-SUBWAY® take-out menus contain 10% post consumer content and come from sustainable forests? This will preserve 160 trees and save 68,000 gallons of water annually starting in 2008.
-The chain is often recognized for its clean stores and friendly service! Well, all liquid cleaners used in SUBWAY® restaurants are non-corrosive, readily biodegradable, and are manufactured without the use of phosphates and ammonia.
-Many of our products come in re-engineered corrugated boxes which equates to a savings of 2 million pounds of corrugated materials or 16,607 trees annually.
-SUBWAY® Napkin saves approximately 60,500,000 gallons of water and an additional 147,000 trees annually because they are made from 100% recycled fiber processed chlorine free.
-The footprint of the SUBWAY® four-cup carrier was reduced by 20% in 2006. This reduction saves 35 tons of paper annually, which is equivalent to 595 trees.
-The packaging for the wipes used to clean tables and counters at SUBWAY® restaurants was recently changed to an interleaved dispenser box, which will reduce the box size by 25%, saving 340 trees and resulting in 25 less truckloads on the road, annually.
-Our Salad Packaging and Catering Tray supplier for the US, Canada and Europe moved their facility from West Virginia to Texas in 2006, 1,000 miles closer to our re-distribution center. This move saves 1,120,000 miles, 160,000 gallons of gasoline, and 3,867 barrels of oil, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 1,663 metric tons of CO2 annually.
-The SUBWAY® Plastic Drink Cups in US and Canada were changed from PS (Polystyrene) to PP (Polypropylene) material? This change took place in 2005, and reduces the raw materials used by 8%, saving the equivalent of 10,421 barrels of oil annually.
-The dish detergent, floor cleaner, glass cleaner, degreaser, and restroom cleaners used at all SUBWAY® restaurants are non-corrosive, readily biodegradable, and are manufactured without the use of phosphates and ammonia? All of these features combine to provide an environmentally sustainable cleaning chemical program for SUBWAY® restaurants.

Since McDonald's is a close second in total outlets, and since they were famously villainized by the classic film, Super Size Me. Here is a link to their corporate responsibility site which has a ton of useful info on steps their taking to improve the sustainability of their company from better sourcing of whitefish and offering healthier menu options to their AWESOME charity, Ronald Mcdonald House.