25 Jun 2019 The final straw for KFC

KFC South Africa has officially announced the removal of plastic for paper straws in over 900 restaurants across South Africa by July 1, helping to eliminate 60 million plastic straws a year.

Following this growing trend in the hospitality industry, the fast food giant in the latest in a string of restaurants to ban the use of plastic straws.

The announcement was made at the Origins Centre at Wits University and forms part of a new global sustainability commitment from the business that all plastic-based packaging items will be recoverable or reusable by 2025.

In addition to this, and as part of its ongoing efforts to adopt more sustainable practices, the brand has already removed disposable plastic beverage cups from its KFC head office.

“As a global brand that operates in 900 restaurants in South Africa, KFC can have a real impact on how the industry approaches single-use packaging, said Thabisa Mkhwanazi, KFC Africa’s public affairs director.

“With environmental sustainability as a core aspect of how we do business, this commitment represents a public acknowledgement of the start of our journey as KFC to address these issues to have a positive effect on our environment.

“In South Africa we have secured a local supplier for our paper straws, stimulating local business, and economies.”

“Additionally, while we are aware that KFC joins an already existing global war on plastic, but as a fast food giant, we are doubly aware of the sheer scale of our business to be able to profoundly impact the narrative on plastic.”

Source: KFC