Environmental Action
We’re working to reduce our environmental impact through targeted improvements in packaging, materials and sourcing practices.
Packaging Sustainability
We are working with our supply chain partners to help improve the sustainability of our packaging and reduce waste across our operations.
Packaging plays an important role in protecting food quality and enhancing the guest experience, and we also recognise the environmental impacts of material choices and packaging waste.
Our key focus areas include reducing unnecessary packaging, exploring lower-impact material options, designing packaging to support recycling where facilities exist, and working with our franchisees to improve recycling across our restaurants.
Packaging plays an important role in protecting food quality and enhancing the guest experience, and we also recognise the environmental impacts of material choices and packaging waste.
Our key focus areas include reducing unnecessary packaging, exploring lower-impact material options, designing packaging to support recycling where facilities exist, and working with our franchisees to improve recycling across our restaurants.
Uniforms
In 2023, Subway® launched a new uniform for Sandwich Artists made from recycled plastic bottles, and some with cotton from the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI). Each garment was carefully designed to ensure comfort and durability, while maintaining Subway®'s distinctive branding and colour pallet.
The new uniforms consist of a T-shirt, polo shirt, half and full apron, baseball cap, and bandana, all made from a polyester blend that uses recycled plastic bottles. Each uniform item clearly communicates its make up – for example, the baseball cap is made from 3 plastic bottles and the T-shirts is made from 8 bottles plus a mix of BCI cotton
As part of the transition, Subway® worked with a textile recycling expert to collect and process old uniforms so that the materials could be diverted from landfill and repurposed into materials for use in other industries.
The new uniforms consist of a T-shirt, polo shirt, half and full apron, baseball cap, and bandana, all made from a polyester blend that uses recycled plastic bottles. Each uniform item clearly communicates its make up – for example, the baseball cap is made from 3 plastic bottles and the T-shirts is made from 8 bottles plus a mix of BCI cotton
As part of the transition, Subway® worked with a textile recycling expert to collect and process old uniforms so that the materials could be diverted from landfill and repurposed into materials for use in other industries.
Deforestation
Subway® understands that agriculture, a critical part of our value chain, is linked to the health of the world’s forest. Our influence on forests is mainly through the sourcing of agricultural materials including palm oil, soy, beef, cocoa, coffee, rubber, and paper/wood-based products for disposable packaging and restaurant design.
Subway® aims to source from suppliers that strive to:
Subway® aims to source from suppliers that strive to:
- Follow recognised responsible forest management practices, including FSC and PEFC certification for wood-based products where applicable.
- Apply sustainable agriculture practices that help increase production on existing farm land and minimise impacts on surrounding areas.
- Support efforts to preserve biodiversity and cultural values and contribute to positive social, environmental and economic outcomes in managed forests.
- Strengthen traceability and information-sharing to support responsible sourcing and compliance with relevant regulations.
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