How Franchises Are Going Green

Posted on June 06, 2011 by Eric Bell

While the term "green" is often used as more of a marketing technique than as a legitimate effort to conserve resources, many companies are embracing green products and techniques as a sustainable, cost-cutting measure for their business. Additionally, the benefits to going green, in many cases, outweigh the initial cost, and can serve to open your market up to a potentially new audience.

Continuing their long standing commitment to environmental friendliness, Subway restaurants have begun a new endeavor this year, focusing on the use of recycled materials. Currently using 100-percent recycled napkins, towels and tissues, the company in April, 2011 made the shift to menu panels printed on paper substrate in 75% of its US restaurants. In addition to the use of recycled materials, the company has also rolled out a kid’s meal program with a reusable meal bag, further reducing their reliance on plastic packaging. Subway is also making a point of using green materials behind the counter as well, from recycled-material mops and uniforms to low flow faucets, saving an estimated 182 million gallons of water annually.

Yum! Brands is the company behind Taco Bell, KFC and Pizza Hut and has also seen the benefits that green technology can make on the environment and on the bottom line. The company is currently focused on reducing environmental impact and improving efficiency as well as pledging to reduce water consumption 10% by 2015. The company's new initiative to open "certifiably green" restaurants came to fruition in 2009 with the Northampton. Mass. KFC/Taco Bell store. The certification comes by way of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and focuses on carbon reduction, lighting reduction, water usage reduction and building materials that meet the criteria of the U.S. Green Building Council. Yum! Brands accomplishes their new store designs through efficient LED lighting, automatic energy management systems and low flow restroom fixtures. The company loves bearing the LEED certification, these upgrades, while more expensive than traditional lighting and fixtures, they save energy and water, resulting in lower operation expenses for the life of the store.

McDonald's green efforts are predominately left up to the franchisee, but several franchisees see the benefit and have begun retrofitting locations and building new locations with LEED certification in mind. One such franchisee team, Tom and Candace Spiel, went so far as to turn their "Golden Arches" green to mark their reopening in late 2010. They focused on energy efficient building materials, low-flow plumbing and almost 300 photovoltaic panels to help generate a significant portion of the location's energy needs. Additionally, the Speils added in-store interactive displays which let customers learn about the green tech used in the store and about the energy efficient materials and building techniques that were employed during the store's remodel.

Green initiatives can mean a big boom in sales and traffic for your business, particularly if you live in an area with a large population of energy conscious consumers. Even if you don't project a spike in sales, the energy savings and lower utility bills can, over time, more than pay for the cost of using green technology and materials in your business.