Our Nutrition Credentials

Our public health credentials: Leading the QSR sector

For many Subway® franchisees, a big motivation to invest in and open a Subway® store lies in the fact that the Subway® brand offers customers a varied menu. Customers can keep discovering different tastes and flavours and choose healthier on-the-go options. This has always been a differentiator between us and many other on-the-go food brands in the rest of the market.

Obesity, specifically childhood obesity, is one of the biggest public health policy challenges faced by government. The Subway® brand, on behalf of Subway® franchisees, welcomes the publication of the UK Government’s public health policy: Childhood Obesity – A Plan for Action. We believe that the policy is ambitious, measured and realistic.

By sensibly avoiding mandated ingredient reductions, the UK Government has recognised the efforts that many in the food and drink industry have taken to reformulate products, as well as the ongoing investment that companies are making to further improve the nutritional profile of products and the time it takes to successfully shift consumer taste.

The UK and Scottish governments have both previously recognised the Subway® brand as the leading Quick Service Restaurant brand in our commitments to reformulation and the positive example that this provides to our industry sector. For the Subway® brand, reformulation and new product development/innovation go hand-in-hand. It is not just lip service.

Our commitments to the UK Childhood Obesity Plan (and previously the Responsibility Deal), Supporting Healthy Choices (Scotland) and Healthy Ireland (Republic of Ireland) form the basis of our public health policy commitments and credentials.

Although the Responsibility Deal is no longer active, our customers continue to benefit from the pledges the Subway® brand made in relation to these.

We now look forward to further building our nutritional credentials following the publication of the UK Childhood Obesity Plan. It is plain to see the positive and proactive way in which Subway® franchisees have embraced the challenge set by government. The Subway® brand aims to be nutritionally the best we can be, the best in the sector and to provide healthier options.

Along with Subway® brand’s own reformulation figures, the Cebr commended the high nutrient density of the Subway® brand’s products. Combined with their relatively low salt and saturated fat content, the Subway® brand’s foods are comparatively healthier and more nutritious relative to the offerings of competitors.

The Subway® brand looks forward to new reformulation and targets that will be developed as part of the Childhood Obesity Plan. To date however, the Subway® brand is the only QSR brand to have previously committed to the following public health commitments:

Recycling your SUBWAY® packaging

The SUBWAY® chain is committed to recycling packaging where possible as it saves natural resources and helps to reduce global warming. SUBWAY® stores recycle their own packaging where they can, for example, cardboard and ingredient containers, but you can also do your bit to help the environment by recycling the food and drink packaging that you take away with you. The following list indicates what you should and shouldn't be able to recycle at home, from your workplace, school or via your local Household Waste Recycling Centre. To check, take a look at the 'recycle-more' website: www.recycle-more.co.uk. You can put in your post code and find out what recycling facilities exist near you and what materials they do and don't take.

Widely recyclable

The following should be recyclable in most locations:

• Plastic drink bottles - made of PET plastic and widely recycled 
• Metal drink cans - made of aluminium and widely recycled
• Cardboard drink trays - these are widely recyclable with other cardboard
• Paper cookie bags - these are just paper and can be recycled with other paper
• Cardboard boxes for nachos - these are paper plus a plant based materials (the clear window) and can be recycled with paper
• Napkins - if these are reasonably clean, they can be recycled with other paper
• Sugar, salt and pepper sachets - these are paper and (once emptied!) can be recycled with paper
• Plastic Sub bags - these are made of HDPE and can generally be recycled at larger supermarkets along with carrier bags
• Wooden stirrers - these can be recycled at your local Household Waste Recycling Centre with other wood or they can be composted in a home composting bin, or with some food waste collections from home or work. Check with your local authority or waste contractor. 

May or may not be recycled

The following items may or may not be recyclable depending on the collection arrangements in place locally:

• Plastic salad and soup bowls and lids - these are made of PET. The clear lid at least should be recyclable with clear plastic bottles. The black bowls may also be recyclable in some locations.
• Wraps and paper cups - these are mainly paper but they have a thin plastic polyethylene (PE) coating which makes them water proof
• Cup lids and straws - these are made of polystyrene (PS) and polypropylene (PP) respectively
• Plastic knives and forks - these are made of polystyrene (PS)

Not generally recyclable

The following items are generally not recyclable due to the fact that they use a mixture of materials, e.g plastic and aluminium foil. This keeps the product fresh for longer, but the materials are hard to separate and recycle:

• Crisp packets
• Snack bar/chocolate wrappers
• Sauce sachets

We are working on ways to reduce our waste stream with a goal of having as close to zero waste to landfill as possible.

Stores can use recycling bins and are also required to maintain a litter free environment. 

We have worked with our suppliers to optimise how our products are packaged to reduce waste streams for breads, meats, cheeses, sauces, produce, paper products and cleaning products used in our stores. For example:  

• In 2009, we moved from cans to pouches for our tuna, which require less energy to package and transport. This change is estimated to have saved 374 tonnes of cardboard and taken 118 trucks off the road across Europe each year since it was introduced.
• In 2010, we increased the number of white bread sticks in a box from 75 to 80, without increasing the size of the box. It's estimated that this change saves 55 tonnes of cardboard, two tonnes of plastic and removes 76 trucks from the roads across Europe each year
• In 2010, we worked with our pickle and pepper suppliers in Europe to reduce the amount of brine. This means we can ship 29% more product in the same amount of packaging, saving around 47,000 cardboard boxes per year. It also reduces road miles as we ship the same amount of product in fewer trucks
• Today, franchisees have the option to portion some ingredients using a reusable scoop. This process eliminates the need to pre-prepare portions in paper food trays and removes additional packaging from our waste stream.

Other sustainable practices used in the UK and Ireland stores include:

• Furniture is not manufactured with or does not contain ozone depleting substances.
• Cleaning supplies used in our stores (with the exception of the sanitizer) are non toxic & non corrosive. The cleaning products are concentrated with a dosage control to reduce packaging waste and are manufactured without phosphates, NPEs and APEs to ensure biodegradability. Their packaging contains recycled material and can be recycled

Our goal is to only use packaging that can be recycled or composted where facilities exist.

Over the past four years, we have been working very hard to improve the sustainability of our packaging and to eliminate unnecessary packaging wherever possible. We continue to look for ways to increase the recycled content, recyclability, degradability and compostability of our packaging where feasible and cost effective. We have redesigned items to be more multi-functional, to be made with more sustainable materials and/or with less material.

The majority of our paper packaging is made with recycled content can be recycled (where commercial facilities exist).

• Napkins are made from 100% recycled fiber with up to 40% post-consumer content and are processed chlorine-free. They are printed with soy or water-based inks.
• Sandwich wrap contains 30-40% recycled material
• Specialty bags contain 50% recycled material
• Plastic salad bowls and lids are made from 95% post-consumer recycled material are recyclable
• Sandwich platters are made from 50% post-consumer recycled material and the platter bags are made from 40% recycled material. Both are recyclable
   

We believe that the most sustainable practice is to reduce “single-use” packaging where feasible. Our franchisees have the option to serve their dine-in guests with a reusable basket lined with deli paper. This approach minimises the associated waste stream and improves the meal presentation.

To further reduce bag usage, stores have the option of using a sticker to individually wrapped Subs for takeaway which eliminated the need for a bag. 

Through other sustainable packaging solutions put in place in the UK and Ireland, we have moved:

• From polystyrene to paper in the bowls used for soup and meatballs. The paper used in the production of the bowls comes from Sustainable Forestry Initiative Certified suppliers. 
• From a triple-wall to a double-wall hot cup, which is estimated to save 30 tonnes of pulp per year across Europe. It also takes approximately 25% less energy to produce. 
  
• To a pulp moulded four-cup carrier made with 100% recycled content, which is also fully recyclable