As a part of the restaurant chain's continued commitment to making its restaurants and operations more socially responsible, the SUBWAY® brand has made LED lighting standard for all new and remodeled restaurants.  This important upgrade will provide energy-efficient lighting that, in 2014 with a small percentage of stores participating, saved 21.9 million kilowatt hours – enough energy to power 1,996 households in a single year. 

The food chain Subway has made LED lighting standard for all new and remodeled restaurants. The upgrade will provide energy-efficient lighting that, in 2014 with a small percentage of stores participating, saved 21.9 million kilowatt hours – enough energy to power 1,996 households in a single year. (Photo Courtesy of Subway)

This news follows a number of recent environmental milestones for SUBWAY, including adding to the brand's number of "Eco-Restaurant" certified store locations. Additionally, several more Eco-Restaurants are in various stages of development and an increasing number of franchisees are incorporating green elements into their existing stores.  

"From reducing water and waste to using energy-efficient equipment, our franchisees are deeply committed to finding new ways to make their stores more 'green,'" said Elizabeth Stewart, who heads the SUBWAY® brand's corporate social responsibility efforts. "We know there is much more work to be done, but every step taken in every restaurant is one more step towards our social responsibility and sustainability goals."

As a part of the restaurant chain's continued commitment to making its restaurants and operations more socially responsible, the SUBWAY® brand has taken significant steps in recent years as  part of its environmental commitment, including: 

• Standardizing low-flow faucets/taps with increased water pressure in all SUBWAY® restaurants; this small change annually saves an estimated 277 million gallons of water

• Using cleaning supplies that are CARB (California Air Resources Board) and Green Seal certified

• Exclusively offering napkins made from 100% recycled fiber, processed chlorine-free, and printed with soy or water-based inks

• Ensuring a majority of the packaging used in North American stores is made with recycled content which can be recycled or composted where facilities exist

• Using salad bowls and lids made from two recycled plastic water or soda bottles (20 ounce), diverting 141 million bottles from landfills last year

• Adding 95% post-consumer recycled material to redesigned catering trays, reducing about 3 million pounds of plastic materials from going directly into the waste stream each year

Most recently, its newest restaurant location in the Fort Wayne area of Indiana has earned Eco-Restaurant designation from the brand. Additional SUBWAY® Eco-Restaurants can be found in the following U.S. locations: La Place, La.; St. Helens and Keiser Station, Ore.; Kissimmee, Fla.; Chicago and Love Park, Ill.; Loveland, Colo.; Durham, Cary Park and Chapel Hill, N.C.;  Kokomo, Ind.; University of California, Los Angeles; and North Haven and Orange, Conn.

"This was the first store I had constructed from the ground up, so I wanted to use this opportunity to do something socially responsible in my hometown of Fort Wayne," said SUBWAY® Franchisee Jeff Sebeika. "I believe in being a good corporate citizen and I'm proud to be a part of a company that encourages our team's environmental efforts and participation with community organizations."