Dunkin' Brands Shares Progress Towards Sustainability Goals In New Sustainability Report

CANTON, Mass., July 29, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Dunkin' Brands Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: DNKN), the parent company of Dunkin' and Baskin-Robbins, has published its 2017-18 Sustainability Report, providing a thorough overview of its sustainability progress and the ongoing commitment of its brands and its franchisees to create a positive impact for both customers and communities throughout the world.

Focusing on the key pillars of the company's sustainability strategy – sustainable food, restaurants and communities – the report highlights Dunkin' Brands' recent efforts to serve both people and the planet responsibly by transitioning from foam packaging, offering cleaner menu labels, reducing energy use, creating a more sustainable coffee supply chain and more.

Key goals and accomplishments detailed include:

Transitioning from foam: Dunkin' is on track to meet a watershed sustainability goal, the elimination of polystyrene foam cups in its global supply chain by mid-2020. In its U.S. restaurants, Dunkin' has begun rolling out a new double-walled paper cup for all hot beverages, offering heat retention properties that are equal to its foam cup and the current re-closable lid that Dunkin' customers know and love. The elimination of foam is expected to remove approximately one billion foam cups from the waste stream annually.

Dunkin' also recently conducted a successful test for a new hot coffee cup lid made of #5 polypropylene that can be recycled in cities and towns that offer #5 recycling. Dunkin' projects to have the new lid in 100% of its U.S. system by the middle of 2020. This transition, along with the move to the double-walled paper cup, will remove 19 million pounds of polystyrene from the waste stream annually.

Supporting coffee sustainability: In 2018, Dunkin' and National DCP (NDCP) announced a five-year agreement with World Coffee Research (WCR), a nonprofit collaborative research and development program of the global coffee industry. A percentage of sales from every pound of Original Blend coffee beans sold to Dunkin' franchisees for use in Dunkin' restaurants now go to WCR in support of coffee sustainability efforts. Additionally, Dunkin' joined the Sustainable Coffee Challenge, a collaborative effort among companies, governments, NGOs, research institutions and others dedicated to making coffee the world's first fully sustainable agricultural product.

Offering vegan and plant-based options: Providing choice is a key element of menu innovation at Dunkin' Brands, and the company has made a commitment to expand its vegan and plant-based offerings on its menus by 2020. Last week, Dunkin' announced a new partnership with Beyond Meat to introduce the Beyond Sausage Breakfast Sandwich, available at participating Dunkin' restaurants in Manhattan with plans for a future national rollout. With the launch, Dunkin' is the first U.S. restaurant brand to serve Beyond Breakfast Sausage. In addition, Baskin-Robbins introduced two non-dairy, vegan ice cream flavors, Non-Dairy Chocolate Extreme and Non-Dairy Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.

Offering cleaner menu labels: Dunkin' successfully removed artificial dyes from all donuts, baked goods, breakfast sandwiches and coffee flavorings and nearly all frozen beverages. Additionally, Baskin-Robbins removed artificial dyes from its ice cream sold at both its restaurants and in quarts and pints at retail locations, as well as from its syrups, sauces and beverages.

Improving energy efficiency: Dunkin' launched DD Green Achievement™ five years ago, designed to help its franchisees build more sustainable and energy-efficient restaurants. With more than 340 certified DD Green Achievement shops as of May 2019, Dunkin' is on track to meet its stated goal of opening 500 DD Green Achievement restaurants by the end of 2020.

DD Green Achievement is also a key component of Dunkin's next-generation store design. Unveiled at the start of 2018, Dunkin' will bring its store-of-the-future experience to guests in all of its communities over the coming years.

Bringing joy to kids who need it most: The Joy in Childhood Foundation®, powered by Dunkin' and Baskin-Robbins, has granted $20 million primarily to bring the simple joys of childhood to kids battling hunger or illness. In just the past two years, guests have also donated $4.2 million through Community Cups® and Community Cones® in-store fundraisers.

In 2018, the Foundation launched Dogs for Joy, a national in-residence facility dog program for children's hospitals that aims to increase the number of service dogs who work full-time in children's hospitals, providing comfort and joy to pediatric patients and playing a key role in their therapeutic care.

Committing to diversity and inclusion: Dunkin' Brands received a perfect score of 100 on the 2019 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), the nation's premier benchmarking survey and report on corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ workplace equality.

"We are proud of the progress we are making to serve our guests in an even more responsible manner -- from eliminating foam cups, introducing plant-based proteins and vegan options, strengthening the sustainability of our coffee supply, giving back to our communities through our Foundation and more," said Karen Raskopf, Dunkin' Brands' Chief Communications and Sustainability Officer. "Yet, we know there is work still to be done. Our brands are on a journey of transformation, and our franchisees, employees and suppliers are committed to getting there in a way that is not only sustainable, but also strong, smart and kind."

To download and read the report, or to learn more about Dunkin' Brands' Sustainability initiatives, please visit this link.