How the Jollibee Group leans on partnerships for its sustainability agenda, Joy for Tomorrow

By Din M. Villafuerte, as published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer

With a company whose name has become synonymous with spreading joy, the Jollibee Group acknowledges the importance of sustainability and recognizes the need to continue its commitment to the company’s sustainability agenda—Joy for Tomorrow.

Launched in 2022, Joy for Tomorrow serves as Jollibee Group’s strategic framework as it further integrates sustainable business practices into its operations while pursuing its global ambitions.

Jose Ma. “Pepot” Miñana Jr., chief sustainability and public affairs officer of the Jollibee Group, lets us in on the global restaurant company’s sustainability journey and how it leans on its partnerships to help ensure a more joyful tomorrow for the company, its stakeholders, society, and the environment.

Bringing the joy of eating to everyone today, and for tomorrow. Joy for Tomorrow is the Jollibee Group’s sustainability agenda, which is anchored on three pillars—Food, People, and Planet.

INQ: Tell us about your sustainability journey. When did it start, and what made you want to accelerate it further?

Miñana: When we embarked on our sustainability journey, we began by looking at our history and current position to gain a clear understanding of where we stand. We realized that since our founding, we had already implemented numerous significant initiatives that were already linked to sustainability. However, these efforts were fragmented across different parts of our business in various parts of the world. We recognized the need for a more intentional and deliberate approach to sustainability amid the growing challenges and rapid changes shaping the world today.

This led to our development of Joy for Tomorrow in 2022—a strategic framework that integrates sustainable business practices into our operations while providing a unified cadence and approach for internal and external shareholders. Anchored on three pillars—food, people, and planet—this framework helps accelerate the initiatives where we already excel, such as food quality, safety, and employee welfare, but also enables us to take meaningful steps in new areas, including our transition to renewable energy.

Recently, we’ve achieved some progress in our efforts. We earned the highest 7-star rating for Food Safety and Quality at the 9th International Best Practice Competition 2023, validating our commitment to food quality and serving food that people can trust. We were cited with the Gallup Exceptional Workplace Award for the second time, affirming our commitment to taking good care of our people. We have installed over 16,800 solar panels at our largest manufacturing site in Laguna, including gains in water efficiency, waste management, and responsible sourcing.

Tapping renewable energy. The Jollibee Group installed over 16,800 solar panels at its largest manufacturing site in Laguna. The company partnered with collaborated with First Gen Corporation, through Pi Energy Inc., for this initiative.

While we have already built strong momentum for our sustainability efforts, we acknowledge that there is much to be done. We will continue to accelerate our Joy for Tomorrow efforts, recognizing that our rapid global growth must go hand-in-hand with sustainable business practices.

INQ: The Jollibee Group has established a reputation for its commitment to sustainability. Could you please share an overview of how partnerships play a role in advancing the company’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives?

Miñana: As a company with over 9,500 stores in 32 countries, our business relies on a tightly integrated web of partners who help us progress in our sustainability journey. Our multi-sectoral partnerships—with our suppliers, the public sector, and civic groups—help advance our sustainability goals.
 
An example of this is our gathering of local and global suppliers for a Supplier Summit to encourage more robust and effective partnerships, aligned with our five-year plan to triple our business in five years. We also used this platform to garner support from our suppliers in advancing sustainable business practices across our supply chain. One key outcome of this initiative was our partnership with Veeva Systems, a global leader in cloud-based quality management software, to conduct training sessions for our global network of vendors, suppliers, commissary employees, and support teams. These sessions included topics on enhancing sustainability and transparency.

As for our partnerships with the public sector, we are proud to partner with our Philippine local government units (LGUs) to advance our inclusive hiring program. We have teamed up with the cities of Quezon, Manila, Muntinlupa, Pasig, and the provincial government of Rizal, to offer temporary employment to qualified senior citizens (SCs) and persons with disabilities (PWDs). As of 2024, this program has hired over 400 qualified SCs and PWDs to select Jollibee, Chowking, Burger King, and Greenwich restaurants.

Providing joyful employment for senior citizens (SCs) and PWDs. Through the different local government partnerships of the Jollibee Group, it was able to provide over 400 qualified SCs and PWDs with meaningful employment. In the photo is the signing of Jollibee Group’s partnership with the provincial government of Rizal.

Additionally, we have a partnership with the Philippine Business Coalition for Women Empowerment (PBCWE) as part of our group’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. We conducted a virtual learning series on anti-sexual harassment for our over 10,000 Jollibee Group store teams and employees. This was followed by a discussion on becoming better allies to women in the workplace, in time for Women’s Month.

Supporting our #SuperHERoes. In partnership with the Philippine Business Coalition for Women Empowerment (PBCWE), the Jollibee Group conducted a virtual learning series on anti-sexual harassment and allyship for women.

Since 2022, we have also been working with the Island Rescue Organization (IRO), a nonprofit organization dedicated to rescuing and caring for stray and abused animals. Meat waste from productionis repurposed and safely donated to IRO.

In our first year teaming up with IRO, we have donated 34.7 tons of meat waste. In 2024, we have expanded our donations to include other food waste such as bread buns.

As we further expand, we will continue to foster even stronger multi-sectoral partnerships that enable us to scale our positive impact on the planet and the communities we serve.

 INQ: Looking into the future, what areas of collaboration are you most excited about, and how do you envision Jollibee Group’s partnerships shaping the next era of sustainability in the food industry?

Miñana: We recognize that collaboration and shared values are more critical than ever, given that our global existential challenges cannot be solved in isolation. Collective action is truly essential. For us at the Jollibee Group, having a clear strategy, like Joy for Tomorrow, helps our stakeholders better understand our priorities and identify the right opportunities for cooperation that can drive meaningful progress together.

As we continue our sustainability journey, we hope to further deepen and expand our multi-sectoral partnerships to help advance our push for sustainable practices. We also look forward to more local and global partnerships and learning from the best around the world.

We know that we still have much to do and learn, and we at the Jollibee Group remain committed to making a meaningful impact on society and the environment, and with the help of our partners, we can continue working together toward a more joyful tomorrow.