Wendy’s 2025 Corporate Responsibility Report: What We’ve Learned, What We’re Building, Why It Matters

Today, Wendy’s released our 2025 Corporate Responsibility Report, marking six years of progress within our Good Done Right strategy. The report reflects how continued investment in our people and supply chain drives business growth -- and this year, it also marks a first: a decrease in emissions across all scopes – Company operations, franchise operations and in our supply chain compared to our base year. Chief Corporate Affairs & Sustainability Officer Liliana Esposito reflects on the journey to date and Wendy’s continued commitment to advancing our focus on Food, Footprint and People.

Looking back at where this journey started, what surprises you most about the way Good Done Right has evolved?

Good Done Right began with our Company leadership’s recognition that doing right by our people and our planet also builds our business growth and resilience. We started with engaging stakeholders to inform our material topics, which is now a strategy embedded across the business, showing real momentum, and driven by a dedicated team with oversight from our leadership and Board of Directors.

Six years in, we’ve found that while goals are powerful motivators, true transformation is a continuous journey. Meaningful change requires collaboration and thinking bigger is what really moves the needle.

The global landscape we operate in has a tremendous amount of complexity and is constantly changing. That has only deepened our commitment to the work we set out to accomplish.

Given beef’s importance to Wendy’s and our fresh, never frozen commitment*, how do our 2025 investments in the Fresh Resilience Beef Cattle Program and Legacy Landscapes contribute to the Company’s long-term supply chain strategy and strengthen business resilience through responsible sourcing?

Our customers expect a high-quality hamburger when they come to Wendy's, which starts with a resilient supply chain and careful stewardship of land, water and wildlife. In 2025, we partnered with AgSpire and the National Grazing Lands Coalition on programs that support ranchers and cattle producers in adopting more sustainable practices, such as adaptive grazing and techniques to improve feed efficiency, which enhance land stewardship and operational efficiency, and reduce emissions. These initiatives build on existing efforts, including our Animal Care Standards Program, to deepen engagement across our supply chain and advance our responsible sourcing and climate goals.

What strategic actions and operational changes led to the Company’s first-ever decrease in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across all scopes?

The short answer is that no single action got us here. It took strategic focus and operational change across the entire value chain, and the work is ongoing. The Wendy’s Energy Challenge has been a powerful driver, now integrated into operations across more than 3,700 restaurants and generating more than $10.2 million in annual savings for participating locations. The program drives Scope 1 and 2 emissions reductions in our Company-operated restaurants, as well as Scope 3 emissions reductions at franchised restaurants. Those savings give franchisees a tangible business reason to act on opportunities for energy reduction, and many have. Wendy’s focus on reducing emissions goes well beyond energy -- from addressing emissions hot spots in major ingredient categories to sourcing our packaging sustainably. These efforts are all interconnected and contribute to reducing our impact as we progress toward our goals.

“We are always looking for ways to run smarter, more efficient operations — and the Wendy’s Energy Challenge has delivered. The energy savings we’ve achieved through these tools and resources go straight back into our restaurants and our people.” 

— Dan Brubaker, Director of Construction, WTC Ventures

What’s the story behind Wendy’s new sustainable packaging for premium sandwiches?

Creating sustainable packaging for our core hamburger line up wasn’t just a matter of changing materials – it still needed to perform to retain heat, juiciness and taste, none of which are negotiable for Wendy’s. Designing the new paper sandwich wrap to be compostable took close to 18 months. We tested the wrap across more than 190 restaurants over eight months before we were confident it could deliver on both sustainability and the high-quality experience our customers expect. The new clamshell for our chicken sandwiches is aligned to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative’s (SFI) “certified sourcing” standard, signaling that the fiber came from responsibly managed forests. After working on this packaging throughout 2025, I’m excited to report that we’ve already begun rolling it out and expect to completely shift to this across the U.S. later this year.

How are investments in employees, franchisees and communities fueling Wendy’s growth and impact?

In 2025, we invested in our global workforce through actions that included expanding companywide training from frontline to leadership and expanding Employee Resource Groups globally to promote a culture where people can grow and thrive. Our fundraising efforts to support the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption reached new heights with approximately $24.2 million raised in the U.S. and Canada through in-restaurant and other campaigns. Additionally, our Community Giving Program continued to empower Company employees to support charitable organizations they’re passionate about. Putting people at the center of everything we do includes supporting our franchisees, who represent nearly 95% of the Wendy’s System and play a critical role in bringing our core values to life. For example, Carlisle, a franchise organization in Memphis, Tennessee, brought together employees from its 230 Wendy’s restaurants to run the annual Frosty 5K Run for Adoption to benefit the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. Our investments and initiatives are driving growth for Wendy’s through deeper employee engagement, franchisee partnerships and community connection.

"Hosting an in-person Frosty 5K event allows us to unite as a team and show our support for a cause that is deeply connected to Wendy's. Our team left with a strong sense of pride and purpose, reminded of the impact that collective participation can have."

— Greg Jones, Chief Operating Officer, Carlisle, LLC

How have efforts driven by Good Done Right created value across the System?

Deeper collaboration with our supply chain through responsible sourcing, a stronger feeling of purpose and connection among our employees and cost savings tied to energy efficiency and sustainable packaging — these are real, tangible returns. The results position us to be a more efficient, resilient brand that customers love, franchisees are proud to operate, and teams are energized to be a part of. We’re proud of the progress we have made across Food, Footprint and People, and are more committed than ever to the Wendy’s Good Done Right journey.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

*Fresh beef available in the contiguous U.S. and Alaska, as well as Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, the UK, and other select international markets.