Operations
Panera's on track to be 'climate positive' by 2050
October 21, 2021
Panera Bread has committed to becoming climate positive by 2050, which means it will remove some of the carbon from the atmosphere that it emits. With nearly 25% of global greenhouse gases created from food production, Panera hopes to lead and inspire the food industry to address the climate crisis.
"Climate change is one of the greatest humanitarian crises of our time, and we must act now for our planet. We embrace the responsibility to take immediate and relentless action to create positive change and hope that our industry will follow us," Niren Chaudhary, CEO, said in a company press release. " We are sharing our vision for a climate positive future to inspire both our industry and our supply chain partners to take urgent, decisive and clear action."
Reaching this climate positive goal equates to removing approximately 2.4 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents each year as compared to Panera's 2019 greenhouse gas baseline. This is equal to the amount of carbon sequestered by 2.96 million acres of forest per year, an area 14 times the size of New York City. Since 2017, Panera has reduced emissions from its operations by 15% per square foot, meeting its 2022 target one year early, according to the release.
Panera is pursuing the following 2025 short term targets to reduce its footprint:
- Increasing the percentage of Cool Food Meals to 60% of bakery-cafe entrees.
- Transitioning to 100% circular — reusable, recyclable and compostable — packaging.
- Using green, renewable electricity for at least 50% of Panera Bread-owned operations.
Estimates revealed that between both the climate commitments of G20 countries and those of individual companies worldwide, the rate of decarbonization falls well below what is needed to keep warming to 1.5°C2.
"For Panera, we recognize this not only creates a need for immediate action but also to commit to reach beyond net zero, to climate positive," Chaudhary said. "Therefore, Panera is developing a long-term roadmap to reduce its emissions in line with a 1.5°C science-based target, committing to first significantly reduce its carbon footprint and then use credible carbon removal and sequestration projects to reach its goal of becoming climate positive."
"Panera has a long history of making conscious choices about the food system, from serving chicken raised without antibiotics beginning in 2004 to being first to label calories on the menu," Sara Burnett, VP Food Beliefs & Sustainability, said in the release.
"With the launch of Cool Food Meals in 2020, Panera recognized the impact of your plate is much bigger than a calorie count; it also has an impact on the planet. As a continuation of our journey, we are committing to our ambitious goal and to work with others in our industry to make this vision for a climate-positive future a reality."
These actions build on Panera's ongoing efforts to help guests eat with the planet in mind.
One year ago, in collaboration with World Resources Institute, Panera began labeling Cool Food Meals on its menu — those meals that have a low impact on the climate. Over half of Panera entrees are Cool Food Meals including the Chipotle Chicken Avocado Melt, Autumn Squash Soup, Fuji Apple Chicken Salad and the Broccoli Cheddar Soup.
If, each year, every person in the U.S. swapped 10 quarter-pound burgers with fries for 10 Chipotle Chicken Avocado Melt sandwiches with chips, given the climate impacts of those items, it would reduce carbon emissions by 77 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. This change equates to taking more than 16 million passenger vehicles off the road for one year, according to the release.
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