Thursday, January 1, 2009

Tim Hortons: Freshly Baked Environmental Solutions

AKAmamma could not end a 4-part investigation without serving up some freshly baked solutions.

On the Tim Hortons Web site, the company attempts to sell itself as an environmental leader. Yes, it uses biodegradable packaging, offers reusable dinnerware in its stores and gives a 10-cent discount to patrons bringing their own cup. And indeed this is a step up from most fast food restaurants, but does that make TH a leader? No. If the company aims to be an environmental leader then it has to do away with the following three practices:

1. The Roll up the Rim to Win Contest
Although there are no figures available to the public about how much revenue this contest generates, we can safely assume that it's a success. After all, how many companies are willing to run a contest that wasn't profitable the first time. Judging by the increased number of prizes and the general banter around water coolers everywhere, I'd say that it's a hit...for selling and using millions upon millions of paper cups. And let's not forget, the contest targets children who enable their caffeine-addicted parents, by convincing them they need just one more cup... But I digress.

Not only is this contest irresponsible, but it also taxes the finite resources of our municipal waste diversion programs. As I learned from the TH media relations team, Ontario businesses collectively pay 50% of municipal recycling programs in that province, but obviously municipal taxpayers foot the rest, through their municipal and provincial taxes. Ah sorry, did Tim Hortons ask Ontario taxpayers whether they wanted their tax dollars to be used on disposing of avoidable waste instead of on recreational facilities? In essence, Tim Horton's increased revenues are at the expense of the taxpayer.

Surely, TH can come up with an imaginative contest that doesn't further burden our municipalities or taxpayers.

2. Kill the Drive-thru

One way to get more people into the restaurant and use an actual dinner plate and cup is to kill the drive-thru. In the interest of adult fitness, have customers get out of their cars and walk across the parking lot for their coffee. Drive-thrus are bad for two reasons. One, people using drive-thrus are notorious for letting their cars idle as they wait, wasting gas, polluting the air and causing traffic jams. Two, this is a convenience that requires disposable containers and packaging, creating a monumental amount of avoidable waste. I also have a hunch that the very people using drive-thrus are the ones throwing empty cups out onto the sidewalk when no one is looking.

I say phase out the drive-thru and create a new corporate model of environmental responsibility. Implement a surcharge ($2.00) on every drive-thru order and have two sets of prices, one for those eating in and the other for those behind the wheel. Make it a noticeable difference. After all, convenience is a luxury that people should pay for. And for patrons coming into the store for their take-out coffee, give them a 30-cent reduction if they bring their own cup and charge them 30 cents more if they opt for the paper model. Of course, people sitting down in the store for their coffee would pay the regular price. This could all be part of TH's friend-of-the-environment campaign.

TH should focus on ways of getting large groups of people out of their cars and into its stores. Instead of the drive-thru, I suggest adding an extra room for holding community events, such as minor sports registration, town hall meetings, union meetings, conferences, PTA meetings, etc. You could even cater these events, and everybody would be using porcelain plates and cups. Another suggestion, put in some more bike racks to encourage cyclists.

3. A reusable and recyclable cup for your Ice Cap
Last summer I went to a TH with my family and asked for my Ice Cap in a china cup. I was told that it only came in the plastic container even if I drank it in the store. Apparently, the plastic cup was the only one that could be used with the mixer. Funny, I seem to remember way back in the 80s that we used a metal cup with this type of mixer. Would it be a corporate faux pas to use a metal cup to mix the Ice Cap and then pour it into something reusable? Must be...The worst part is that Ice Caps are served everywhere in number 6 plastic, the evil polystyrene, which cannot be recycled in the Montreal area. Surely, TH could come up with a cup made from number 2 or 5 plastic, two types of plastic that according to RECYC-Quebec can be recycled almost anywhere in the province.

As I have said before Tim Hortons has the customer loyalty to implement changes like these and set itself apart from the other fast food chains. However, its current outlook with respect to the environment is shortsighted. This will inevitably lead to a backlash, which as far as I can see is already off to a good start.

I'd also like to say kudos to the City of Toronto for standing up to corporations on behalf of municipal taxpayers. Push for your discount for consumers with refillable cups!

Check out what you can do as consumers and voters in Part 3 of this investigative series.

5 comments:

  1. Love the post - but you're missing a big story about Tim Horton's... something CBC covered last summer, and which I call the "idle free zone" conspiracy.

    I've got kind of a Tim Horton's blog going right now actually, if you're interested:
    http://timhortonsplanet.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. I visited your blog. It was great! Be sure to catch the showdown this week between the City of Toronto and Tim Hortons. I hope the City bans THs all together.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Roll up the rim, I know a few people who love that contest and you can be sure it is increasing the sale of coffee as well as the size of the mountain of cups destined for the garbage!

    Thanks for visiting my page, Ban Paper Coffee Cups From The Face of the Earth, and leaving your thoughts! You have covered a lot of important issues in your blog posts here. Too bad Tim Horton's wouldn't step up and be a leader in environmental issues.

    Brenda

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm thinking about a petition asking Tim Horton's to hire a consultant to write a sustainability plan for all the tim horton's franchises... covering everything that happened on a tim horton's lot... from the drive-throughs to composting coffee grounds... to setting targets for one day selling more "china cup" coffees than they do "disposable cup" coffees.

    ReplyDelete
  5. http://jingleyanqiu.wordpress.com/2010/04/04/easter-sunday-awards-to-fill-your-basket/

    Happy Belated Easter!

    ReplyDelete