Carbon Footprint — Operations: How does The Wendy's Company score?

Wendy's reports Scope 1 (~14,295t) and Scope 2 (~38,986t) emissions for 2024 via DitchCarbon, with a 37% absolute reduction from a 2019 baseline (2024 CR Report). The company follows GHG Protocol methodology, discloses to CDP annually, and reports against GRI and SASB frameworks. Multi-year tracking is evident (2019 baseline through 2024). No explicit third-party verification of emissions data was found, which prevents a higher score.

Carbon Footprint — Supply Chain: How does The Wendy's Company score?

Wendy's quantifies Scope 3 emissions at ~9.97 million tonnes (2024), covering purchased goods and services (~81% of Scope 3), franchised restaurants (~10%), and FLAG emissions. Key supply chain emission hot spots are identified: beef, chicken, dairy, and oils. Approximately 64% of in-scope suppliers have completed EcoVadis self-assessments. The company has mapped its total protein supply chain spanning 20,000+ farms and facilities. Methodology and category breakdown are disclosed, though active

Emissions Trajectory: How does The Wendy's Company score?

Scope 1 and 2 emissions show a genuine 37% absolute reduction from 2019 to 2024, and 26% by 2023. However, Scope 1 and 2 represent less than 1% of total emissions. Scope 3 has decreased only ~4% in absolute terms since 2019 per DitchCarbon. In 2024, purchased goods and services emissions per metric ton actually increased 1% vs 2019 baseline. The Scope 3 targets are intensity-based (per metric ton of goods, per restaurant), not absolute. With the company continuing to grow its restaurant system,

Energy Source: How does The Wendy's Company score?

Approximately 200 restaurants (out of 7,200+ systemwide) are enrolled in community solar programmes through Duke Energy, FPL, and Ampion, sourcing 30-100% of energy from solar via RECs. One microgrid pilot exists with SolMicroGrid at a franchise location. The DOE Better Buildings Challenge targets 20% energy reduction per transaction. The Next Gen store design is 10% more efficient. However, the vast majority of the 7,200+ restaurant system remains on standard grid electricity with no renewable

Nature & Biodiversity Impact: How does The Wendy's Company score?

Wendy's has committed to no deforestation across beef, fiber packaging, palm oil, and soy by end of 2025. The company has an SBTi-validated FLAG target to reduce absolute forest, land, and agriculture emissions by 33.3% by 2030. It is an RSPO member and 76% of customer-facing packaging is SFI-certified. A deforestation risk assessment was initiated in 2023. Wendy's partnered with AgSpire for a beef cattle resilience programme. However, as a major beef purchaser, the company's supply chain has si

Resource Use & Waste: How does The Wendy's Company score?

Wendy's has a goal to sustainably source 100% of customer-facing packaging by 2026 and currently reports 76% achieved with SFI-certified materials. Fry cartons, chili cups, and bakery bags are transitioning to SFI-certified sourcing. In Canada, plastic straws were replaced with paper straws in 2022, and straw-less lids were introduced in 2024. However, no comprehensive waste diversion data, circularity targets, or waste-to-landfill metrics were found. The company has not published system-wide wa

Water Impact: How does The Wendy's Company score?

Wendy's joined DOE's Better Buildings Water Savings Network in 2019 and surpassed its 20% water reduction goal seven years early, achieving 25% improvement in water use intensity across company-operated restaurants. The company completed a WRI Water Risk Atlas assessment finding 40% of restaurants in high/extremely high water stress areas. Automated dishwashing equipment saves 84,000+ kGallons/year across ~1,000 installations. Smart irrigation pilots were completed at 25 Florida restaurants. Tie

Targets & Commitments: How does The Wendy's Company score?

Wendy's has SBTi-validated near-term targets: absolute Scope 1 and 2 reduction of 47% by 2030 from 2019 (1.5°C aligned), Scope 3 intensity reduction of 55% per metric ton of purchased goods and per franchise restaurant by 2030 (well below 2°C). The company also has an SBTi-validated FLAG target for 33.3% absolute reduction by 2030. The reduction-first approach is evident with no reliance on offsets. However, the Scope 3 targets are intensity-based rather than absolute, which is a significant lim

Transparency & Accountability: How does The Wendy's Company score?

Wendy's has a Chief Corporate Affairs & Sustainability Officer (Liliana Esposito) and publishes annual Corporate Responsibility reports since at least 2018. The company discloses to CDP annually and aligns reporting with GRI, SASB, and UN SDGs. Board-level oversight of corporate governance strategy is confirmed. Suppliers are engaged via EcoVadis platform. The company also participates in the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil. However, no evidence was found of executive compensation linked to s

Controversies & Red Flags: How does The Wendy's Company score?

No environmental greenwashing lawsuits, climate litigation, or environmental regulatory fines were found against Wendy's. The CIW (Coalition of Immokalee Workers) boycott relates to farmworker labor rights, not environmental issues. Per OpenSecrets, Wendy's Co has not reported lobbying the federal government during the 2024 election cycle. The company is not featured in InfluenceMap's database of climate policy obstructors. However, the framing of Scope 3 progress using intensity metrics while a

The Wendy's Company Sustainability Score: 36/100

Recently scored: Dentsu, Omnicom, Publicis Groupe, WPP

507 companies scored·4 score updates this week

The Wendy's Company·Food Service / Restaurants·Sandy Springs, United States·Founded 1890·Last verified 25 April 2026

out of 100

Below expectationsPending Review

Wendy's reports genuine 37% Scope 1&2 reductions but these are <1% of total emissions. Scope 3 emissions remain essentially flat in absolute terms despite intensity-based targets. Renewable energy covers ~200 of 7,200+ restaurants. Supply chain decarbonisation is early-stage; no net-zero commitment exists.

No challenges currently filed

The calculation

Every score shows its working.

Same formula for every company. No curve. No private weighting.

SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × Scale

Industry base impact

Food Service / Restaurants sector ceiling.

45 / 100

Performance score

Sum of the 10 rubric questions, scored 0–10 each.

54 / 100

Raw score

Weighted average before scale penalty.

(0.3 × 45) + (0.7 × 54) = 51.3

Scale penalty

Multiplier based on absolute emissions volume — physics-first.

× 0.7

Final score

Rounded. Below expectations.

36 / 100

The ten questions

Where The Wendy's Company is strong, and where it isn't.

Strongest on Carbon Footprint — Operations and Carbon Footprint — Supply Chain (7/10, 7/10). Weakest on Energy Source and Resource Use & Waste (3/10, 4/10).

Where the evidence comes from

Every document used, listed.

16 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which rubric questions it informed.

[1]Third-party verified

DitchCarbon: The Wendy's Company

Ongoing

Q1Q2Q3

Every score shows its working.

Where The Wendy's Company is strong, and where it isn't.

Every document used, listed.

Where The Wendy's Company sits among food service / restaurants peers.

The Wendy's Company's score over time.

This score is not currently being contested.

Related companies worth a look.

We'll let you know when the score moves.

Which companies moved this week, and why.