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Chipotle will be tying executive compensation to diversity and sustainability goalsChipotle will be tying executive compensation to diversity and sustainability goals

Chipotle is the latest foodservice company to make this type of commitment, with goals of increasing locally grown food, maintaining racial and gender pay equity, and improving environmental transparency

Joanna Fantozzi, Senior Editor

March 4, 2021

2 Min Read
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Chipotle has outlined and moved up goals in line with agriculture, sustainability, and equity.Joe Raedle/Getty Images News/Getty Images North America

Joanna Fantozzi

Chipotle Mexican Grill announced Thursday that the company would begin tying executive compensation to larger corporate goals including diversity and sustainability. The goals, which are divided into three categories — people, food and animals, and the environment — include commitments to racial and gender pay equity, increasing the amount of local/organic/sustainably raised food by the end of 2021, and releasing data on their carbon footprint by the end of the year.

Chipotle said that 10% of executive officers’ incentive plans will be tied to their progress toward achieving these goals.

“We are passionate about inspiring real change in people, food, and the environment every day,” Laurie Schalow, chief corporate affairs and food safety officer said in a statement. “The new compensation plan ensures our leaders continue to set the right example for our more than 88,000 employees while fulfilling our mission to drive change and cultivate a better world.”

Here are the goals in more detail below:

  • Food and Animals — Chipotle has set a goal of reaching 37 million pounds of local produce cultivated by the end of 2021, up from 30 million pounds each year, and has committed $5 million this year to “Help reinvigorate” the farming industry.  The company also introduced a virtual farmers’ market to help their suppliers earn more revenue streams during these tough times. Overall, the goal is to support more sustainable small farms by increasing the amount of regeneratively grown/local produce they purchase.

  • People — Chipotle is creating an acceleration program to help promote diverse faces and voices at both the store level and support center level. Calling it a “formalized advancement process,” the company says it aims to help uplift diverse employees.

  • Environment — Chipotle is moving up its original goal of publishing its scope three carbon emissions from 2025 to the end of 2021, with the overall goal of increasing transparency around its environmental impact. Scope three carbon emissions include activities from assets indirectly owned or impacted by the organization, like supply chain partners.

Related:Chipotle’s digital sales grow 177.2% in Q4

Over the past year, both Starbucks and McDonald’s have announced new diversity commitments to be tied to executive and/or corporate compensation.

Contact Joanna Fantozzi at [email protected]

Follow her on Twitter: @JoannaFantozzi

About the Author

Joanna Fantozzi

Senior Editor

Joanna Fantozzi is a Senior Editor for Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality. She has more than seven years of experience writing about the restaurant and hospitality industry. Her editorial coverage ranges from profiles of independent restaurants around the country to breaking news and insights into some of the biggest brands in food and beverage, including Starbucks, Domino’s, and Papa John’s.  

Joanna holds a bachelor’s degree in English literature and creative writing from The College of New Jersey and a master’s degree in arts and culture journalism from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY. Prior to joining Informa’s Restaurants and Food Group in 2018, she was a freelance food, culture, and lifestyle writer, and has previously held editorial positions at Insider (formerly known as Business Insider) and The Daily Meal. Joanna’s work can also be found in The New York Times, Forbes, Vice, The New York Daily News, and Parents Magazine. 

Her areas of expertise include restaurant industry news, restaurant operator solutions and innovations, and political/cultural issues.

Joanna Fantozzi has been a moderator and event facilitator at both Informa’s MUFSO and Restaurants Rise industry events. 

Joanna Fantozzi’s experience:

Senior Editor, Informa Restaurant & Food Group (August 2021-present)

Associate Editor, Informa Restaurant & Food Group (July 2019-August 2021)

Assistant Editor, Informa Restaurant & Food Group (Oct. 2018-July 2019)

Freelance Food & Lifestyle Reporter (Feb. 2018-Oct. 2018)

Food & Lifestyle Reporter, Insider (June 2017-Feb. 2018)

News Editor, The Daily Meal (Jan. 2014- June 2017)

Staff Reporter, Straus News (Jan. 2013-Dec. 2013)

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