In case you haven’t been paying attention to the news lately, we’re still in the midst of a global pandemic. From what I’ve seen, everyone’s been saying that we should support local businesses near us to help stimulate the economy. While I agree with this completely, what about supporting young farmers in our areas? You know, the ones that provide us with locally grown produce? No, ok, but you should consider supporting young farmers, too, despite how inconvenient it might be to trek over to your local farmer’s market during this time. I know that Chipotle is supporting 50 young farmers by awarding them with grants totaling $250,000 to start or grow their business. Here’s what else you should know.
Details, please.
Today, May 6th, Chipotle today launched its 2019 Sustainability Report Update, which outlines how the company continues to invest in food & animals, communities, the environment, and its people. Report update highlights include:
Food and Animals: increased total purchasers of locally grown produce by 20% in 2019 from 29 million pounds to 35.5 pounds of fresh produce. Did you know that 15 million pounds of organic beans, rice, and wheat for tortillas were purchased? There were also 29.5 million pounds of chicken fed by non-GMO grains along with a 33.4% increase in domestic pork supply from small to medium-sized farms.
Community: donated $9 million through 52,206 local fundraisers
Environment: diverted over one million gloves from the landfill with its industry-leading Gloves to Bags program, and 47% of waste was diverted away from the landfill.
People: provided industry-leading benefits for all 85,000 team members, including debt-free college degrees and access to mental health. Four Employee Resource Groups were launched focusing on employee engagement, contributing to surrounding communities (SERVES), improving personal wellbeing (Wellness), empowering women in the workplace (HUSTLE), and supporting LGBTQ+ community (PRIDE).
Caitlin Leibert, Head of Sustainability at Chipotle has said the following:
“When you eat Chipotle, you are supporting a business with integrity that is actively fighting to Cultivate a Better World; as a very public and engaged brand, we have a great responsibility to ensure action and accountability in the areas of sustainability and transparency, and I am so proud of our success in 2019 and inspired for the future ahead.”
On the other hand, Sophie Ackoff, Co-Executive Director of the National Young Farmers Coalition, has stated that “young farmers and ranchers are providing food and essential services for their communities and are facing greater challenges than ever before; we are thrilled to partner with Chipotle to make an investment in this next generation and to provide critical funding to help them overcome the challenges they face launching and building their new farm businesses.”
To learn more about sustainability at Chipotle and review the full report, please visit CHIPOTLE.COM/SUSTAINABILITY.