US restaurant chain Wendy’s has joined the NextGen Consortium as a supporting partner in an effort to advance sustainable packaging solutions across its operations and its foodservice industry.

The fast-food chain will focus on addressing the problem of single-use food packaging waste as part of its commitment.

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It will also engage with the NextGen Consortium to accelerate progress on finding environmentally sustainable solutions and alternatives to single-use plastic and paper.

Wendy’s chief communications officer Liliana Esposito said: “At Wendy’s, we know that our customers are increasingly aware of packaging waste and its impact on the environment, and they’re already doing their part to be more conscious about their product use and recycling habits.

“Our Squarely Sustainable approach is the next step for Wendy’s – embracing our role as part of the solution. By sharing goals and regular updates, we’ll outline areas where we need to drive progress and hold ourselves accountable to our commitments.

“One commitment is to engage in partnerships that help us arrive at smart solutions, like our new partnership with the NextGen Consortium.”

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“By sharing goals and regular updates, we’ll outline areas where we need to drive progress and hold ourselves accountable to our commitments.”

Wendy’s is already working on eliminating certain materials of concern and removing unnecessary paper and plastic waste.

The fast-food chain recently reduced fibre and plastic in several packaging formats such as fry cartons, straws and bags. It also eliminated Styrofoam from restaurants in 2012.

Convened by Closed Loop Partners’ Center for the Circular Economy, the NextGen Consortium is a multi-year partnership established for companies in the foodservice industry to address plastic waste.

The company has launched the Squarely Sustainable approach to replace unnecessary materials with certified sustainable options. It will also enable the company to drive change by identifying consumer-facing actions and allowing partners to work with others to find solutions on important issues.

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