Nov 13 2012
Sustainable Burgers: The Eco-Friendly Advantage
When you think of sustainable businesses, fast food doesn’t really come to mind. However, family-owned chain Burgerville is working on changing this. CEO of Burgerville, Tom Mears, realized his company would not be able to compete with rival mega burger joints such as McDonalds and Burger King and that something needed to be changed. In order to set his business apart, he decided to focus on quality and began making Burgerville a more eco-friendly chain. As learned in class, sometimes companies take steps towards becoming more green simply because it’s the best move for them. So how did Burgerville go about this? They focused in on using local ingredients, such as buns from a near-by family-owned bakery. “Sourcing locally eliminates need for preservatives and transportation.” The items on the menu aren’t the only eco-friendly changes Burgerville has made however. In 2006 they joined up with a local biodiesel outfit to recycle waste fryer oil and now approximately 6,400 gallons of biodiesel a month are supplied by Burgerville to local gas pumps. Also, “electricity used in the restaurants is generated by wind power, thanks to a special program from local utility Portland General Electric.” Not only has Burgerville proven that fast-food can be sustainable, they have found a spot for themselves in the competitive burger joint industry. I’d say that’s a win-win situation.