09/10/21

Chipotle’s Environmental Calculator Lets Customers Know Their Order’s “Foodprint”

Fast casual chain Chipotle Mexican Grill launches “Real Foodprint,” a first-of-its-kind sustainability impact tracker that provides the chain’s guests with detailed data about the environmental impact of an order’s ingredients.

The restaurant brand’s foodprint tracker compares average environmental values for each of Chipotle’s 53 ingredients against five key metrics: gallons of water saved, improved soil health, organic land supported, antibiotics avoided, and less carbon in the atmosphere, allowing consumers to see the overall climate impact of their order compared to industry averages. The metrics for the Real Foodprint are provided by HowGood, a mission-driven independent research company with the world’s largest sustainability database for products and ingredients. HowGood aggregates information from Chipotle’s suppliers as well as collecting data from peer-reviewed scientific literature, industry findings, and research from government and non-governmental organizations in order to produce the impact measurements of each item on the Chipotle menu and the possible variations.

Chipotle even teamed up with Bill Nye the Science Guy in order to demonstrate how to calculate the environmental savings for his favorite burrito bowl order on TikTok. Adding to the social media element of the new tool, Chipotle fans can also use the simulator on the Real Foodprint site to share their order tracker results on Twitter.

Restaurants prioritizing consumer interest in climate-friendly practices is a part of a larger trend PSFK researchers have noted around the evolving nature of the consumer dining journey, and other industry brands are also taking steps to educate consumers around higher-order issues affecting the globe. For example, restaurant chain Panera Bread has created a new “cool food” label in partnership with environmental think tank World Resources Institute (WRI) to let consumers know which items on the brand’s menu have a carbon footprint low enough to meet the WRI’s standards. Additionally, tools such as the Klimato app allow restaurants to calculate the CO2 emissions behind each dish they serve.

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This article originally appeared in PSFK’s research paper, Restaurant CX Innovation: Delivering Value Through Elevated Services, Hyper Convenience & Curated Recommendations