Max Burger: Best Sustainable Restaurant Chain Europe 2019

Max Burger was founded over 50 years ago in the far northern Swedish province of Lapland, and has made outstanding progress in that half century, today boasting 120 restaurants and over 5 000 employees worldwide with a turnover of 220 million euros. That makes it the most profitable restaurant chain in Sweden, outperforming other well- known international hamburger chains . The company has achieved that while at the same time remaining a family business and maintaining the high standards it set at its inception. Sustainability has always been a huge part of the company’s ethos and it has continued to up the ante environmentally without ever compromising on taste and always using the best local ingredients. For several years Max has engaged experts to conduct an inventory of the company and the food’s total climate impact, from farm to plate, and has planted more than 700,000 trees in Africa to offset its carbon footprint. This transparency has empowered its customers to better understand the climate impact of the food they eat. Since June 2018, it has offset 110% of its emissions, a figure audited by EY, which make everything on its menu climate positive. 2019 has seen the company set the bar even higher: in May the company launched Delifresh Plant Beef, a self-developed burger that looks and tastes like meat, but is made from plant-based protein; a big step forward in Max’s work to reduce its climate impact – without backing down on taste and quality. It is both this commitment to flavour and first-class service, equally evident in its approach to franchises, that really makes eating at Max Burger a special experience and has convinced the CFI.co judging panel that Max Burger is the worthy winners of the Best Sustainable Restaurant Chain – Europe for the second year in a row.