McDonald's, Starbucks, Chipotle Mexican Grill among restaurant chains looking to be more environmentally responsible by sourcing natural ingredients, promoting recyclability

Nevin Barich

LOS ANGELES , December 21, 2011 (Industry Intelligence) – McDonald’s, Starbucks and Chipotle Mexican Grill are among restaurant chains that are looking to be more environmentally responsible by sourcing natural ingredients and promoting recyclability, Forbes reported Dec. 20.

These companies won’t likely save on costs in the near future. However, they are likely to get future tax benefits and could be viewed as having a better image in the eyes of their customers. According to a recent study, consumers want to visit restaurants which serve food made up of naturally grown, chemical-free and environmentally friendly ingredients. The study said 75% of Americans want a law passed restricting the use of antibiotics at animal farms.

Chipotle has already started catering to these consumers. The chain claims to use hormone-free, naturally grown and antibiotic-free ingredients. Chipotle has
yielded a more-than 50% year-to-date return and has seen the number of restaurants increase from 700 in 2007 to around 1,200 today.

Starbucks, meanwhile, aims to have all of its cups reusable or recyclable by 2015. The company also recently opened a green-designed store in Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport made up entirely of sustainable materials

In its latest commercial, McDonald’s focused on its brand’s ingredients and recognized the farmers and ranchers in its chain supply. Additionally, last month the company cut ties with Spargoe Egg Farms after video footage revealed the cruel conditions at Spargoe’s facilities.

The primary source of this article is Forbes, New York, New York, on Dec. 20, 2011.

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