Wendy’s partners with Berry Global, LyondellBasell as it shifts to recyclable cups

Wendy's hamburger fast-food chain recently revealed its plans to introduce clear plastic cups in its restaurant outlets next year. The shift is part of its efforts to do its part in helping reduce the waste in the landfills.

For this project, Wendy's teamed up with Berry Global and LyondellBasell to improve cup recyclability and make clear drinking cups. The company's move is also to encourage its customers to recycle their drinking cups to help curb climate change.

Wendy's announced its recycling plans and collaborations with the appropriate companies so it can meet its goal of shifting to recyclable cups. The fast-food giant said that the new cups that it will use in its stores are the type that can be easily recycled compared to the plastic-lined paper cups that it is currently using.

To achieve its goal, Wendy's will be working with plastics packaging firms Berry Global and LyondellBasell. These two companies that source 20% of their plastic from recycled materials will produce cups for the burger joint brand.

Restaurant Business Online reported that Wendy's will begin using recycled plastic cups in early 2022, but this will initially be in store locations only in Canada and the United States. The company stated that this should be able to boost the number of its recycled plastic cups over time, and by 2023, all of its drinking cups will use recycled plastic.

"Consumers are increasingly aware of the impact of single-use waste, and we want to do our part as a leader in the quick-service restaurant industry to provide more sustainable options," Wendy's chief corporate affairs and sustainability officer, Liliana Esposito, said in a press release. "Today's announcement marks Wendy's next step toward creating packaging solutions that reduce our environmental impact."

Berry Global's chairman and chief executive officer, Tom Salmon, added that it would help Wendy's in fulfilling its goal for recyclability and contribute to a better world for the future. "Giving our natural resources multiple lives requires commitment and collaboration across the value chain and partnering with leading brands that actively pursue opportunities to promote innovative packaging solutions is key to accelerating a circular economy," he said.