Sustainable
Packaging Design
While we continue the journey of shifting guest behavior toward
the use of reusable options, we know that we currently utilize
traditional packaging across our brands. We are committed to
making careful choices in materials and innovating in physical
design in order to find solutions that are environmentally sound
and still do the job of protecting the safety and quality of our
products. We aim to minimize the resources and material inputs
needed to package our products as well as the overall volume of
packaging that needs to be disposed of by guests, while we also
work to switch to more sustainable materials for existing
packaging. By 2025, 100% of approved guest packaging will come
from renewable, recycled or certified sources.
Sourcing fiber-based materials from
sustainably managed forests
Burger King and Tim Hortons require vendors to source
fiber-based packaging from certified or recycled sources,
globally. Popeyes is working towards implementing this
requirement globally by 2021.
Increasing the use of recycled content
Tim Hortons increased the recycled content of their paper
takeaway bags, so that multi-item paper bags in Canada and the
US are now made of 100% recycled fiber. A paper cup that
contains 30% post-consumer recycled content is also being tested
in select Canadian restaurants.
Using materials that are easier to
recycle
One of our waste reduction strategies is to serve guests the food
they love in packaging that can be recycled in their local
communities. One challenge we face is that some communities and
regions lack the necessary facilities to be able to properly
recycle all types of plastics. To tackle this challenge, Tim
Hortons new hot beverage lid is now made from polypropylene, a
material type that is 100% recyclable and accepted in 95% of
curbside recycling programs across Canada.
In addition, Tim Hortons has developed new paper-based wrappers
for bagels and sandwiches, which will roll out in early 2021.
The new paper-based wrappers will eliminate plastic-lined
wrappers and are fully recyclable, resulting in reducing an
estimated 460 tonnes of plastic over the next year and 17 per
cent less paper in our wrappers annually.
In November 2020, the brand will launch a pilot project at
select Vancouver restaurants with the aim of introducing a paper
cup that has a recyclable and compostable liner. Tim Hortons
continues to work with key stakeholders in industry and
government to ensure the cup is accepted within municipal
programs.
Switching from single-use plastics
Tim Hortons launched a strawless lid in Canada and the US that
uses 15% less plastic than the former lid and straw combination.
The new strawless lid will remove 120 million plastic straws
from our supply chain every year. For frozen beverages that
still require the use of a straw, paper straws will be replacing
plastic straws across Canada, removing more than 300 million
single use plastics in the next year. Tim Hortons also launched
wooden stir sticks in Canada and the US, which is expected to
remove 186 million plastic stir sticks annually.
Burger King India banned single use plastics, and continues to
use more environmentally friendly materials like birch wood for
forks, spoons, and stirrers. The brand has also launched paper
straws for soda beverages in seven European countries, with
further expansion planned by early 2021. Additionally, Burger
King Spain and France have begun to offer the King Fusion™ in
lid-less paper cups, with more countries to follow in
2021.
Globally, Burger King is also committed to completely phasing
out non bio-degradable plastic toys from its system by the end
of 2025. Burger King UK has already completely removed all
plastic toys from its King Junior Meals, estimated to save 320
tonnes of single use plastic annually.
Reducing material volume
New napkins will be used across Tim Hortons restaurants in
Canada and the United States that use 25% less material than
before, saving an estimated 900 tonnes of paper in the next
year. The napkins are made of 100% recycled fiber, including 90%
post-consumer content.
In addition, Tim Hortons will stop the practice of
‘double-cupping’ in Canadian restaurants, encouraging the use of
a 100% recycled fibre cup sleeve instead. The transition is
estimated to save about 2,700 tonnes of cups per year, which is
equivalent to 200 million cups.
Removing foam
By 2021 we will phase out EPS foam from all centrally managed,
approved guest packaging globally and require that markets do
not use EPS foam for any local guest packaging items. Tim
Hortons approved packaging is already free from EPS foam,
globally. While a limited number of Burger King restaurants may
still have foam packaging items in their inventory,
EPS foam has been eliminated globally from
approved guest packaging offered by centrally managed
distributors.