5 Questions With Suparna: Building Green
1. What is your role at KFC and why are you so passionate about the Building Green program at KFC?
I am a Design and Construction Manager for the KFC Global Development team. I have been passionate about sustainability and the need for us to tread lightly during our time on this planet so future generations can also have the chance to enjoy the beautiful gifts our planet has to offer. Through my background in Architecture, I pursued this passion by studying about sustainable buildings during grad school and later by pursuing a LEED accreditation. One of my first projects with KFC was to create sustainable building standards, or Green Building Standards as they are commonly known, to cater to KFC’s requirements. This was one of the most exciting projects I worked on, which was co-authored by market representatives to bring together the best of industry sustainability standards, Yum! Standards, and KFC’s own unique brand requirements in one place and presented in an easy-to-use format for franchise adoption.
KFC Building Green standards are part of the Volume 4 standards and also part of the Planet Pillar under our Recipe for Good growth strategy. I am proud to be a part of not just the world’s most loved and trusted restaurant brand but to also know that our company places equal importance on both GROWTH and GOOD when defining its purpose and measuring its success.
2. What does being Green mean in regards to Green Buildings?
Within Building Green, we outline sustainable building practices in six categories that correspond to the typical development stages of our restaurants which are Pre-Construction, Construction and Post-Construction. Being Green means implementing the strategies within a restaurant and achieving the results that can be seen in forms such as energy efficiency, material efficiency, water conservation, reduction in operational cost, waste reduction and improved indoor air quality.
3. How do they help the planet?
Buildings overall generate nearly 40% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Strategies within KFC Building Green standards help reduce the environmental impacts that our restaurants have on our planet. In a small but important way, the strategies contribute towards broader global climate agreements and get us closer to net zero carbon commitments.
4. How to do they benefit our franchisees?
Within the structure of the standards, we have identified priority strategies that, when implemented in the right way, provide the most opportunity for operational savings for the franchisees. HVAC, lighting, and energy monitoring are some the areas identified that provide the most ROI and cost savings to the franchisees. The compliance is tracked via an easy-to-use checklist format and will soon be rolled out on a mobile and web platform for further ease of use.
5. Where in the world is your favorite KFC green building and why?
KFC Nilai in Malaysia is one that I enjoyed visiting and can be considered as an earlier flagship for Green Restaurants along with KFC Wincanton in the UK that we have used extensively in our studies. The most recent example is from Krakow in CEE which achieved LEED Gold certification.
Along with examples of these LEED restaurants, we recognize several markets that implement KFC Building Green strategies along with innovative strategies in their restaurants. Examples include recycled material use in drive thrus, the used furniture donation program both in the UK, ultra-water conservation measures, solar panel installations in Africa, energy monitoring systems in Canada, Asia and the UK, energy saving exploration with providers in SOPAC, electric vehicle parking station explorations in Iberia and Germany, and many more. There are so many opportunities. We still have a lot to achieve and discover on this exciting journey!
