Restaurant Brands International

No leading practices were identified for the company in the governance and strategy measurement area.

No leading practices were identified for the company in the environment measurement area.

No leading practices were identified for the company in the nutrition measurement area.

Farmer and fisher productivity and resilience
The company has committed to support farmer productivity and resilience via the Tim Hortons Coffee Partnership. Throughout the multi-decade duration of the programme, subsidiary Tim Hortons has focused on gender inclusion, a viable economic future for young adults, climate-smart production and strengthening farmer organisations. The company has also tracked the impact of this initiative and discloses metrics such as hectares of land under sustainable management. The company has an opportunity to improve by systematically measuring and disclosing all outcomes of all its supporting activities.

Sustainable development strategy
The company has established its sustainable development strategy, Restaurants Brands for Good, based on the results of its materiality assessment. By conducting an analysis of the industry, and a cross-checking analysis of its risks, Restaurant Brands International has identified three pillars: food, planet, and people and communities. While it has set targets under these topics, it could improve its commitment by setting time-bound targets for all of its identified material topics.

Governance and accountability for sustainable development
The company discloses its sustainable development strategy is managed by both its highest governance body and the chief executive officer, who are both charged with oversight, and is managed by a steering committee with high-level managers, along with executive positions and board members. The company also discloses that, remuneration-wise, sustainability topics are taken into account, in a cascaded manner, from the top down. The company could further improve its transparency by disclosing which sustainability-related elements are included in the remuneration policy.

Stakeholder engagement
While the company has conducted stakeholder engagement activities and discloses an overview of the issues raised via these activities, it has an opportunity to disclose how it identifies its most relevant stakeholders, along with information on how the outcomes of the engagement process are integrated into the company’s sustainable development strategy.

Scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas emissions
Restaurant Brands International begun the process of setting targets to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by establishing a baseline in 2020. The company has also disclosed qualitative data regarding its emissions; however no evidence of reductions was disclosed. Furthermore, the company is committed to set science-based targets in 2021, which are also under review by the Science Based Targets i. The company is encouraged to disclose its targets once they have been set and approved and to report on progress against them.

Protection of terrestrial natural ecosystems
Restaurant Brands International has identified its high-risk commodities and established objectives in terms of deforestation. However, these are not applicable to all commodities. The company has set some time-bound targets regarding palm oil and beef, but its commitments to other high-risk commodities such as soya and coffee are still vague. The company has an opportunity to reduce its impact in terms of deforestation by continuing to set targets, especially if these have a global scope. Furthermore, while the company has disclosed some performance indicators on palm oil, it could improve its transparency by also reporting progress on other high-risk commodities.

Plastic use and packaging waste
While the company has set time-bound targets around this topic via its most relevant brands, Burger King and Tim Hortons, these are not applicable across all of its operations, as they do not cover operations outside of North America. The company could improve its performance by setting global targets, as well as by establishing a reporting practice whereby it discloses quantitative data across its operations. Furthermore, the company is encouraged to engage with its supply chain on this topic.

Availability of healthy foods
Restaurant Brands International has disclosed it has reformulated items in its Burger King US menu, leading to a sodium reduction of 18%, with all items containing less than 2,400 mg sodium. However, the company is encouraged provide evidence of its sugar and fat reduction as well as increases in fruit & vegetables in its offerings. Furthermore, the company is encouraged to establish nutrition criteria for its menus and set global targets to improve the nutritional quality of its menus.

Accessibility and affordability of healthy foods
The company does not disclose a commitment and activities to improve the accessibility and affordability of healthy foods for vulnerable groups.

Clear and transparent labelling
While the company discloses a commitment of compliance with national regulations regarding labelling and commits to making nutritional information available for all consumers, it has an opportunity to make nutritional information more visible to consumers through the adoption of front-of-pack labels and/or any other consumer-facing nutrition label.

Food safety
While the company discloses compliance with national regulations and international certification initiatives, it has an opportunity to strengthen its commitment by disclosing the percentages of its own operations, particularly regarding its own restaurants, that are certified to a food safety certification programme recognised by the Global Food Safety Initiative.

Child labour
The company commits to prohibiting child labour in its supply chain, however it has an opportunity to disclose a policy requiring the same standard in its own operations, as well as a requirement in its own operations and those of its suppliers to have an age-verification system in place.

Forced labour
The company commits to not using forced labour in its operations and requires its suppliers to adhere to the same standard. It also commits to respecting workers’ rights to collective bargaining and freedom of association in its own operations and supply chain. It has an opportunity to disclose a commitment that prohibits any form of intimidation of workers seeking to exercise these rights in its own operations and supply chain.

Living wage
The company does not disclose that it pays its workers a living wage or requires its suppliers to do the same. Neither has it set targets to do so in the future.

RBI commits to respecting human rights in its operations and provides a grievance mechanism for workers. However, no sufficient commitment to respecting ILO core labour rights in its operations was found in the public domain. Moreover, the company does not provide evidence of a human rights’ due diligence process, nor disclose how it engages with affected and potentially affected stakeholders.

RBI commits to protecting the health and safety of its workers and those in its supply chain. However, the company can improve disclosure around health and safety and workforce diversity. Furthermore, its commitments around working hours and collective bargaining lack strength and its disclosures around gender equality could be improved by including more a detailed breakdown. No policies on living wages were found.

RBI publicly discloses policies and commitments on personal data protection and on anti-corruption and anti-bribery practices. However, no relevant policies or commitments on other key ethical business topics – tax, lobbying and political engagement – were found in the public domain.