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From cycling instead of driving, to choosing a refillable water bottle instead of a plastic one, many of us are trying to do our part to help the environment.
But if you’re a regular visitor to Greggs or KFC, you may be unknowingly reversing all your hard work.
Which? has revealed the most sustainable restaurants in the UK, with KFC and Greggs at the bottom of the list.
By contrast, Wahaca has been named the most sustainable chain thanks to its impressive green credentials.
“Our research shows that some restaurant chains are doing much more than others to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and food waste,” said Shefalee Loth, Which? Nutritionist.
Which? has revealed the most sustainable restaurants in the UK, with KFC and Greggs at the bottom of the list
From cycling instead of driving, to choosing a refillable water bottle instead of a plastic one, many of us are trying to do our part to help the environment. But if you’re a regular visitor to Greggs or KFC (stock image), you may be unknowingly reversing all your hard work.
In the studio, Which one? set out to understand Britain’s most and least sustainable restaurant chains.
Researchers asked restaurants a series of questions about key sustainability issues, including resources and emissions, sourcing policies, waste and plastics, transparency and customer choice and goals.
An analysis of their responses revealed that the Mexican chain Wahaca took first place, with an overall score of 84 percent.
In particular, the chain scored highly for its customers’ choices, with six out of 10 dishes on its menu being vegetarian.
It was followed by Nando’s (81 per cent), Frankie and Benny’s (75 per cent), pubs Young & Co’s (74 per cent), Pret A Manger (73 per cent) and Wagamama (72 per cent).
At the other end of the scale were KFC and Greggs, which only scored 38 per cent in Which?’s analysis.
Wahaca has been named the most sustainable chain thanks to its impressive green credentials
Greggs’ scores were average across the board, but it did not share information on water use, food waste or non-food waste in landfills.
Greggs’ scores were average across the board, but it did not share information on water use, food waste, or non-food waste in landfills.
“The Greggs Pledge is our commitment to make the world a better place by 2025, focused on three key areas: building stronger, healthier communities, making the planet safer and becoming a better business,” a Greggs spokesperson told Which ?.
“We continue to make good progress against our ambitious engagement targets, which has not been reflected in this report as we have not yet published all the specific data requested.”
Meanwhile, KFC’s low score was attributed to its decision not to share information on electricity or water consumption, renewable energy, food waste and landfill.
“KFC has committed to being a Net Zero business by 2040 or sooner, ten years ahead of the government’s targets,” a KFC spokesperson said.
‘We are passionate about embedding sustainability into all areas of our business and are working with a range of experts to ensure this is the right path.
“We believe that this report does not fully reflect our position and our continued commitment to operating responsibly.”
Which? hopes the findings will prove useful to customers trying to be greener.
“Many people want to play their part in preventing climate change by making more sustainable choices and expect restaurants to support them by being transparent about their emissions and where they source their food,” Ms Loth added.
‘Visiting one of the restaurants called Which? “Eco Provider, diners can be assured they are in a chain that has impressive green credentials.”