Climate Change Data

Dunkin' Brands, Inc.

Climate Impact & Sustainability Data (2010)

Reporting Period: 2010

Environmental Metrics

ESG Focus Areas

  • Nutrition
  • Portion Size
  • Governance & Ethics
  • CSR Strategy
  • Stakeholder Engagement
  • Sodium Content
  • Sourcing
  • Supplier Code: Sustainable Sourcing Program
  • Human Rights
  • Palm Oil
  • Animal Welfare
  • Product Quality & Safety
  • Packaging
  • Foam Cup
  • Pink Spoon
  • Sustainable Building
  • Workplace Practices
  • Franchisee Relations
  • Labor Practices
  • Health & Safety
  • Employee Engagement & Support
  • Caffeine
  • Other Packaging
  • Environmental Footprint
  • Energy/Water Use
  • Waste Management
  • Other Commodities
  • Cocoa
  • Sugar
  • Hormones
  • rBGH Dairy
  • Water Use
  • High Fructose Corn Syrup
  • Trans Fats
  • Advertising
  • Diversity
  • Public Policy
  • Guest Engagement
  • Customer Education
  • Feedback Mechanisms
  • Community Engagement
  • Product Donations
  • Carbon Footprint/GHG Emissions
  • Food Waste
  • Coffee Grounds
  • Product Impact
  • Life Cycle Assessments
  • Collaboration & Partnerships
  • Fleet Efficiency

Environmental Achievements

  • Reduced the weight of foam hot cups and plastic cold cups in 2009, reducing materials sent to landfills by 4.6 million pounds annually.
  • Switched to a new, 100% post-consumer fiber napkin system-wide, saving 38 million gallons of water, 16,000 cubic yards of landfill space, 22 million kilowatts of energy, 11,000 gallons of oil, and 323,000 lbs of air pollutants annually.
  • Introduced new napkin dispensers that reduced waste by 25%.

Social Achievements

  • Established a Nutrition Advisory Board.
  • Launched a zero grams trans fat menu for both Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins.
  • Launched DDSMART and BRight Choices menus offering better-for-you options.
  • Established The Dunkin’ Donuts & Baskin-Robbins Community Foundation.
  • Implemented Guest Satisfaction Survey, receiving feedback from over one million guests.

Governance Achievements

  • 100% of corporate employees trained on Code of Conduct, including anti-corruption policy.
  • 99 employees with international responsibilities completed FCPA training.

Climate Goals & Targets

Long-term Goals:
  • Continue to look for ways to incorporate better-for-you choice options on Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins menus.
  • Review and explore Dunkin’ Brands advertising practices that may reach younger audiences to encourage balanced lifestyle options.
  • Reduce franchisee utility costs.
  • Reduce carbon footprint.
  • Develop estimated baseline of energy spend in U.S. Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants.
  • Develop energy efficiency recommendations and implementation plan for U.S. Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants.
  • Utilize Dunkin’ Donuts learnings to improve the sustainability of Baskin-Robbins shops.
  • Develop a long-term strategy on diversity and multicultural initiatives.
  • Continue to introduce training programs that improve the guest experience and business results at the restaurant level.
  • Reassess the Supplier Code of Conduct to ensure alignment with core human rights principles and high sustainability standards.
  • Work to understand how the company can ensure compliance with the Code and integrate its elements more clearly into RFPs and procurement decisions.
Medium-term Goals:
  • Review current menu portfolios and identify nutritional gaps and new product opportunities by 2013.
  • Establish nutrition filter and goals.
  • Revise website to include nutrition content by 2013.
  • Develop a holistic packaging scorecard for use with all suppliers to drive continuous improvement on environmental impacts.
  • Perform waste/recycling audit on sample DD and BR restaurants, and seek diversion opportunities for top three waste items.
Short-term Goals:
  • Develop a comprehensive strategy in 2012 to achieve a sustainable cup solution.
  • Test a reusable mug program option for iced beverages in 2011.
  • Pilot test in-store foam cup recycling program by 2013.
  • Identify franchisees with in-store recycling programs and gather best practices to share across the system by 2013.
  • Complete testing of Baskin-Robbins pink spoon alternatives with plans to transition to a more sustainable material brand-wide by 2013.
  • Develop a holistic approach to sustainable sourcing of commodities that balances cost with sustainable filters.
  • Create a sourcing filter to guide future purchases and establish goals for its use.
  • Explore sourcing an additional certified commodity in 2012.
  • Establish an animal welfare policy by 2013.
  • Complete feasibility and research of available quantities of cage-free eggs and gestation crate-free pork by 2013.
  • Create sustainable building filter and goals for new construction in 2012.
  • Two members of DBI Design and Construction Services Department to achieve full LEED Accreditation by 2011.
  • Open second “green” Dunkin’ Donuts restaurant in St. Petersburg, FL in 2011, targeting LEED certification.
  • Incorporate improved sustainable materials into Dunkin’ Donuts new store design in 2012.
  • Launch supplemental leadership training programs and feedback mechanisms to support leadership development across all levels of the organization.
  • Develop and communicate an Employee Value Proposition for corporate employees by 2012.
  • Reassess our New Franchisee Training process to ensure new franchisees have the tools to be successful. Introduce revised learning path by 2013.

Environmental Challenges

  • Environmental impact of Dunkin’ Donuts foam cups.
  • Lack of a single-use hot beverage cup meeting performance, cost, and recyclability criteria.
  • Challenges in tracking restaurant utility data due to franchisee ownership.
  • Complex and localized regulatory approach to menu labeling.
Mitigation Strategies
  • Testing various single-use cup alternatives.
  • Reducing cup weight.
  • Testing in-store foam cup recycling programs and offering reusable mug programs.
  • Working with industry groups to advocate for federally mandated menu labeling legislation.
  • Joined Environmental Defense Fund’s Climate Corps program to establish energy spend baseline and identify energy efficiency projects.

Supply Chain Management

Responsible Procurement
  • Supplier Code of Conduct addressing human rights concerns.

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Reporting Standards

Frameworks Used: GRI G3 Sustainability Reporting Guidelines

Sustainable Products & Innovation

  • DDSMART and BRight Choices menu items.
  • Egg White Flatbread Sandwiches.

Awards & Recognition

  • #1 in “Customer Loyalty in Coffee” for five years by Brand Keys Customer Loyalty.
  • “Best Airport Franchisor” in Airport Revenue News.
  • #18 in the “Top Franchises to Start” by Forbes Magazine.
  • Dunkin’ Donuts #7 and Baskin-Robbins #36 in QSR Magazine’s Top 50.