In 1955, two Georgia neighbors opened a restaurant that would change the world. Now, we call on Waffle House to change the world again:

Waffle House is an iconic American company; it operates 1,900 restaurants in 25 states today.  “NBC News reported in 2005 that an astonishing 2% of all eggs produced in the U.S. went directly into the chain's kitchens. Statistics from United Egg Producers show that almost 100 billion eggs are farmed in the U.S. every year, clearly displaying Waffle House's impact on the egg market.” (Mashed.com)

As a company with an estimated BILLION dollars in revenue yearly as of 2020 (Forbes, Wikipedia), it creates a lot of avoidable waste in the form of recyclable materials that end up in landfills. This impacts millions of Americans now and in the future as we struggle to process waste and rampant emissions accelerate climate change. As a significant company in the food service industry, Waffle House's choices have massive effects on the economy and natural resources.

“The steps it takes to bring food to our tables – everything from production to processing to food waste – are responsible for between 21% and 37% of total global greenhouse gas emissions, according to a 2019 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)” (The Guardian).  If more prominent companies like Waffle House make efforts to reduce their environmental impact, they can slow the effects of climate change, boost the economy, and save millions of lives. While Waffle House’s business partners may be eliminating waste and reducing emissions, there is no clear indication that Waffle House is making efforts on its end to reduce waste in its stores at this time.

Waffle House claims to be committed to community involvement and has a history of supporting local causes. Decreasing company waste and increasing sustainability would align perfectly with Waffle House's values and mission. Environmental sustainability efforts can: conserve natural resources (like timber, water, and minerals), reduce greenhouse gas emissions, save energy (using recycled materials tends to require less energy than making products from raw materials), improve community health and quality of life (less pollution leads to less sickness and fewer deaths), and supports the economy (creating jobs in recycling and manufacturing). Waffle House must act now to minimize waste and environmental impact from current and future emissions; we are already seeing extreme and unpredictable changes to weather and storms worldwide. As natural disasters increase in frequency and power, the burden on Waffle House as a community resource will continue to rise beyond its capabilities.  Governments, companies, and citizens must all work together if we are to build a future that's liveable for us all.

We call on Waffle House to: begin recycling, reduce other forms of waste, and use renewable energy in all of their stores and facilities, as well as making detailed public annual reports on the company’s progress towards these goals.

Waffle House’s Recyclable Waste Items:

• Cardboard boxes
• Milk jugs
• Egg package inserts
• Cans
• Used coffee grounds
• Eggshells
• Uneaten food

Other Sustainable Opportunities for Waffle House:

• Utilize renewable energy sources to power stores and office buildings
• Use more efficient light systems (LEDs and movement sensors)
• Use fewer physical menus
• Offer plant-based alternatives to dairy and meat products
• Use recyclable and more eco-friendly materials for packing supplies and to-go containers
• Encourage and offer incentives for employees to choose more eco-friendly transportation (buses, car-pooling, bicycles, etc.)
• Support local and national sustainability and conservation efforts (beyond Atlanta, Georgia)
• Encourage and collect conservation ideas from employees and local management

Every 60 SECONDS, Waffle House employees across the nation serve up: 
(Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

341 strips of bacon (When laid out, that’s over 25,000 miles each year!)
238 hash brown orders
145 waffles
127 cups of coffee (Yearly, Waffle House serves about eight Olympic swimming pools — or 19,994,638 liters — of coffee.)
110 sausage patties
96 orders of grits

Waffle House’s Current Environmental Conservation Efforts:

• Reusable serving platters and cutlery for in-store dining
• Condiments used for marking plates are served with the plate for customer use rather than being immediately wasted
• Some Waffle House units may recycle cardboard due to local laws and regulations that require them to
• A few stores may recycle or repurpose food waste through an informal agreement between individual Unit Managers and employees by their own initiative

Suppliers:

• Waffle House Mix - C.H. Guenther & Son
• Orange Juice - MinuteMaid -- Coca-Cola (Parent company)
• Hash browns - Basic American Foods
• Eggs - Rose Acre Farms (and other family farms) Rose Acre Farms is the largest and supplies over half of the eggs consumed at Waffle House
• Dairy - Dean’s Dairy -- Dairy Farmers of America (Parent company)
• Coffee - “Family-owned farms” and Royal Cup Coffee
• Soft Drinks - Coca-Cola
• Chicken - Springer Mountain Farms

Waffle House Suppliers’ Environmental Conservation Efforts:

Waffle Mix - Sustainability and Resource Conservation

• Seeking out sustainably sourced or harvested ingredients, including RSPO-certified palm oil
• “Our mandate is to reduce electricity, natural gas and water intensity by 20% from a 2013 baseline and target zero waste to landfill” (C.H. Guenther & Son)
• Working toward Zero waste to landfill – success already at 8 facilities
• The corporate headquarters is a LEED Silver building, using solar panels to power its HVAC system

Orange Juice - Promise of “Efficient Production Practices”

• “With our grove-to-glass capability, we take part in each step of the juice making process, ensuring efficient production practices while minimizing our environmental footprint and benefitting [sic] communities.”

Hash Browns - Recycling and Reuse

• Potato By-Product Recycling– Potato peels are recycled into animal feed
• Water for Grass Crops– Water from processing is screened, & then reused to grow nutrient-rich grass crops

Eggs - Conservation, Recycling, and Reuse

• Rose Acre Farms has transitioned nearly all compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) utilized in areas of production to LED lighting to reduce the amount of energy consumed for lighting
• Daily water usage is recorded at each facility
• They strive to minimize the amount of water used to prevent aquifer depletion
• On the opposite end, egg wash water goes through stages of treatment and is ultimately applied back to cropland for use of nutrients
• They have reduced their phosphorus usage by 98% at their egg processing facilities
• Wood pallets are reused throughout the company; damaged or broken pallets are salvaged and repaired onsite for reuse
• Cardboard and other packaging materials are flattened and bailed to be recycled at most facilities
• Scrap metal is separated from other solid waste and recycled
• A 2-megawatt solar array and a 2.5-megawatt Tesla battery pack allow the energy generated by solar panels to be stored and dispatched when needed
• The solar production is expected to offset about a third of the energy consumed
• Manure from our hens is sold as organic fertilizer to local farmers for crop production
• Inedible egg is collected and taken to the inedible drying plant where it is processed and packed for use in pet food products
• Egg shells from further processing plants are ground and used as a liming agent on agricultural fields by local farmers
• Corrugated packaging comes from Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) Certified sources
• Pulp cartons come from 100% post consumer recycled materials
• Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) cartons are 100% recyclable and come from 50% recycled materials

Dairy - Emissions Control/Reduction and Sustainability Initiatives

• A Farmers Pledge of NO Artificial Growth Hormones
• They’re working toward a net zero or net negative carbon footprint for their Cooperative and U.S. dairy
• They advance sustainability initiatives in collaboration with the following organizations: Global Dairy Platform, committed to responsible and sustainable food production; International Dairy Federation, supporting dairy nutrition and sustainability research; Dairy Sustainability Framework, which developed a sustainability framework and criteria for the global dairy industry; Global Dairy Agenda for Action, demonstrating the dairy industry's support, work and alignment with the UN's Sustainability Development Goals
• DFA's adoption of the U.S. Dairy Stewardship Commitment affirms their pledge to responsible dairy production

Coffee - Quality and Source Commitments

• “Royal Cup is committed to buying and serving high-quality coffee that is responsibly grown and ethically traded”
• Royal Cup focuses on responsible coffee purchasing practices, aiding and growing the farms they work with, and partnerships with organizations dedicated to the origins in which coffee is grown
• These organizations include the National Coffee Association, Specialty Coffee Association of America, Quality Assurance International and World Coffee Research, among many others

Soft Drinks - Sustainability Targets and Goals

• “We aim to collect and recycle a bottle or can for every one we sell and make 100% of our packaging recyclable”
• “Water balanced” and 100%+ of water used in drinks is returned
• Their water stewardship goals are aimed at increasing water security where they operate, source ingredients and touch people's lives
• Set a target to reduce their carbon emissions 25% by 2030 from a 2015 base year.

Chicken - Quality Commitments 

• In 2011, Waffle House and Springer Mountain Farms announced antibiotic-free chicken
• Springer Mountain Farms raises chickens with only an all-vegetable diet
• Springer Mountain Farms is dedicated to using environmentally friendly methods in all of their facilities
• They insist that their chickens are raised under the strictest standards of animal welfare
• On the farms before any houses are built, soil is tested for residue, potential run-off and environmental impact on wildlife
  staffed specialists continually conduct environmental testing that the EPA has set as standards
• Most of their fresh tray-packed Springer Mountain Farms PLUS products are packaged in a new clear plastic tray
• The new clear trays are “three times stronger than styrofoam”, yet “100% recyclable with a resin code of 1”, they are also BPA Free

Disclaimer: 

This is not a professional report; there may be gaps in the information presented. This petition does not intend to disparage Waffle House or its affiliates. Any opinions included are my own and do not reflect my employer(s). I made this of my own accord and will not receive compensation for the creation of this petition.

Sources:

1. wafflehouse.com
2. epa.gov
3. Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waffle_House 
   https://www.mashed.com/466457/the-ridiculous-amount-of-eggs-waffle-house-makes-every-year/
4. https://www.forbes.com/sites/chloesorvino/2021/04/03/waffle-house-chairman-joe-rogers-jr-debuts-as-a-billionaire-as-restaurant-industry-digs-out-from-wreckage/?sh=1b05aa6044e0
5. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/nov/10/nine-charts-why-us-tackle-food-emissions
6. https://www.ipcc.ch/srccl/chapter/chapter-5/
7. https://www.ajc.com/entertainment/dining/waffle-house-the-numbers/nfNge1HkMGFGY1hWgEQwBM/
8. https://www.springermountainfarms.com/ (Chicken)
9. https://www.coca-colacompany.com/
10. https://www.coca-cola.com/us/en/brands/minute-maid (Orange Juice)
11. https://chg.com/ (Waffle Mix)
12. https://www.baf.com/ (Hash browns)
13. https://deansdairy.com/ (Dairy)
14. https://www.dfamilk.com/ (Dairy parent company)
15. https://www.royalcupcoffee.com/ (Coffee)
16. https://www.goodegg.com/ (Rose Acre Farms, Eggs)

Further Reading:

1. U.S. Food System Factsheet | Center for Sustainable Systems (umich.edu)
2. https://www.sustainalytics.com/esg-research/resource/investors-esg-blog/big-food-broken-promises-the-data-behind-food-industry-rising-emissions
3. https://www.eia.gov/environment/emissions/carbon/pdf/2023_Emissions_Report.pdf
4. https://electrek.co/2024/02/05/waffle-house-dc-fast-chargers-tennessee/
5. https://www.whitehouse.gov/ceq/news-updates/2024/04/19/biden-harris-administration-launches-conservation-gov-showcasing-and-supporting-the-rapid-acceleration-of-locally-led-efforts-to-conserve-protect-and-restore-lands-and-waters-across-america/
6. https://www.conservation.gov/