Max Challenges American Hamburger Industry

In the coming days, much of the world’s hamburger industry will be in Chicago for the international fast food fair, NRA Show 2016. In an open letter in Saturday’s Chicago Tribune, Swedish hamburger chain Max challenges the industry to begin its climate adaptation, and shows that doing so is also good for the bottom line.

As noted at the Paris Climate Change Conference at the end of 2015, meat production has a major impact on our climate. “If we are part of the problem, we have a responsibility to be part of the solution” says Richard Bergfors, CEO of Max Hamburger Restaurants. “As a hamburger chain we want to offer our guests the opportunity to make climate-smart choices."

In January therefore, Max took the bold next step in its already extensive sustainability efforts by launching five new green menu items, one of which is completely vegan. The move was welcomed by guests. The launch was the most successful in Max’s history and greatly exceeded the company’s own forecasts.

“Now our goal is to triple the share of white and green meat sold in our restaurants by 2020” says Christoffer Bergfors, Country Manager Sweden. “On a global scale, we’re a small player. But we are ready to show our colleagues that it is both possible and profitable to make changes from an environmental perspective. And we want to challenge them to act in the same way as we do."

Working with sustainability is nothing new to Max. In 2008 the chain was the first in the world to climate-label its menu, and it offsets carbon emissions through the entire production chain - from farm to table - by planting trees in Africa. For the past six years the company has been the industry leader in sustainability according to the Sustainable Brand Index, and the launch of the Green Family of vegetarian burgers was recently recognized as this year’s “Greatest Venture in Sustainable Branding.”

Max Burgers has ca 120 restaurants and is Sweden’s most popular hamburger chain. Founded in northern Sweden in1968 by Curt Bergfors and Britta Andersson, Max is the most profitable restaurant chain in Sweden, outperforming both McDonald’s and Burger King. Max is family owned and run and has had the most satisfied customers in the business, twelve years in a row.