DUBLIN, OHIO — The Wendy’s Co. reached milestones in its environmental, social and governance strategy, according to its 2022 Corporate Responsibility report, released April 25.

Wendy’s categorized its Good Done Right ESG strategy by Food, People and Footprint.

As an added incentive, its 2022 goals were linked to a portion of Wendy’s executives’ compensation. The company announced it has now extended the incentive to all bonus-eligible restaurant support employees.

"After establishing our corporate responsibility goals and laying a strong foundation in prior years, we are now taking significant steps forward in delivering on our commitments across Food, People and Footprint," said Liliana Esposito, chief corporate affairs and sustainability officer. "I am proud of the collective efforts of our team, stakeholders and franchisees as we prepare the brand for accelerated global growth while working toward a more sustainable Wendy's."

With a year to spare, the company celebrated achieving a 10-year goal for responsibly sourced pork in the United States and Canada. Wendy’s transitioned from pork raised in sow gestation stalls to those raised in open pen or group housing for confirmed pregnant sows.

A second milestone for Wendy’s was expanding into the breakfast category in Canada last year. In the United States, Wendy’s developed and launched 13 new products in 2022.

Moving forward, Wendy’s is working to responsibly source its top 10 priority food categories in the United States and Canada by 2030. The company has identified 140 suppliers in scope for its responsibly sourced program.

Wendy’s goal in the workplace is to increase the representation in leadership and management of underrepresented populations, as well as increasing the diversity of its franchisees.

“Our vision is to become the world’s most thriving and beloved restaurant brand,” said Beverly Stallings-Johnson, chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer. “We rely on the diverse perspectives of our people at all levels to make us stronger as an organization. Progress toward our vision is only possible when our people, our franchisees and our partnerships reflect the diversity of the communities we serve.”

In support of its workplace goal, Wendy’s launched a new training resource in May 2022 called GlobeSmart, which is a cross-cultural and inclusion learning platform for corporate employees. It provides resources and learning opportunities that can help educate employees on cultural differences that may be relevant in the workplace and help equip employees to make stronger cross-cultural relationships.

Wendy’s also introduced a new training program available for hiring managers and company leaders that works to mitigate unconscious bias.

To support employees who are parents or caregivers, Wendy’s created GiveCare, which provides resources and a space for those employees to share their experiences. During National Caregivers Month in November, GiveCare hosted a self-care day, offering take-home meals, chair massages and yoga sessions.

As for Wendy’s progress on shrinking its environmental footprint, the company said it has benchmarked and tracked its Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions. Wendy’s plans to reduce emissions by 47% by 2030.

“We recognize our role in using resources and energy responsibly,” Esposito said. “With the introduction of our newly validated science-based targets, we enter our next phase of climate action and are exploring new ways to deliver more to our customers with a smaller emissions footprint.”

Wendy’s is on track for its sustainable packaging goal. With the rollout of clear, recyclable drinking glasses, the company surpassed the halfway mark on it goal of sustainably sourcing 100% of its customer-facing packaging by 2026.

The new Global Next Gen design is Wendy’s latest standard franchise model that will reduce energy consumption while improving efficiency. The new design is up to 10% more energy efficient and saves 8% on energy costs. It features right-sized kitchen and HVAC equipment, automated lighting controls and HVAC through building management system, as well as additional roof insulation.