Chipotle’s purpose isn’t just a slogan, it’s a mission to cultivate a better world. This mission weaves its way through the world, one person, one farm, one animal at a time. Through transparent data and aggressive time bound goals in three key areas of business (Food & Animals, People, and the Environment), Chipotle’s commitment to responsible business starts at the top and permeates all levels of its operations.

Chipotle proudly leads the corporate world in sustainable business practices, doing the right thing even when it’s the hard thing to ensure that the future of real food is sustained. And while many consumers know and love Chipotle for its real food and real purpose, many don’t realize the scale and scope of real change the brand is making on the wider food system.

According to data from Forrester Analytics, a third of U.S. consumers are thinking about sustainability even more after the Covid-19 epidemic. Forced to reckon with the fragility of our way of life, empowered consumers are demanding companies change their business practices to preserve the environment for future generations. Sustainability, once a differentiating corporate practice, is increasingly becoming table stakes for consumers.

As companies shift operations to meet rising consumer expectations, the world becomes a better place. But in a rush to meet these expectations, many companies have been accused of “woke washing” their marketing to appear that they have created greater impact than reality shows. In this environment, it’s critical that any claim, action and commitment has the organizational integrity to back it up.

Chipotle always has been and always will be an organization with integrity. The brand’s sustainability efforts are not designed to be one-off headline-grabbing stunts, they are part of a continual journey to tirelessly remain on the cutting edge of positive real world change.

To Cultivate a Better World, Chipotle’s Real Sustainability platform drives positive, measurable impact by changing the future of food. Because when you change the future of food, you change the future.

We live in a world that increasingly feels disingenuous. At the same time we are losing faith in the integrity of governments, institutions and once-cherished cultural figures. As a result, Americans have culturally become cynical when it comes to change: they only believe it when they see it for themselves.

Strategically, we knew that to overcome this cynicism we couldn’t just say we were committed to a sustainable future. We knew we had to remake the future of food to prove it was possible.

In 2020 Chipotle’s Real Sustainability platform yielded six different programs:

Chipotle awarded $250K in Seed Grants to 50 young farmers to start or grow their business.

Chipotle launched the Chipotle Virtual Farmers’ Market on Shopify so that its farmers could sell direct to consumers during the epidemic.

Chipotle partnered with The Farmlink Project to connect its farmers’ crops, which otherwise would have gone to waste, to people in need.

Chipotle turned waste into sustainable fashion by launching apparel collection Chipotle Goods, featuring items dyed with upcycled avocado pits from its own restaurants.

Chipotle relaunched its accelerator program, Chipotle Aluminaries Project 2.0 , designed to support agricultural ventures.

Chipotle launched farmer-created Tractor Beverage Co, with five percent of profits from sales going towards farmers.

During the 2021 SuperBowl, we asked a question: can a burrito change the world? We answered that question by proving with our sustainability efforts, we can.

True to Chipotle’s purpose to Cultivate a Better World and our strategy to prove real change is possible, each program drove real-world impact:

Young Farmers:

In 2020, 50 young farmers were awarded $5,000 grants to begin or grow businesses, 78% of recipients were women and BIPOC.

Farmers Market:

Our Shopify storefront connected our suppliers directly to customers with 50,000 visitors on Day 1.

The Farmlink Project:

Winter of 2020, Chipotle's real change partnership allowed Farmlink to donate 9.5M+ meals to those in need.

Chipotle Goods:

Chipotle diverted ~50% of their waste from landfills launching Chipotle Goods – 100% of profits went to sustainable farming and textiles. In 48 hours it sold out its first item.

Aluminaries:

Accelerated 8 growth-stage ventures, with mentorship, programming, and support.

Super Bowl:

“Can a Burrito Change the World?” earned #2 most viewers on YouTube’s AdBlitz.

4.3 Billion earned media impressions