KFC Philippines continues to ramp up its pioneering initiative toward more sustainable and environment-friendly operations by installing solar power systems in at least nine more stores by the first quarter of 2023.

KFC is the first quick-service restaurant in the country to launch an initiative to significantly lower its carbon footprint by mounting solar panels on the rooftop of the KFC branch in San Fernando, Pampanga, in April 2019.

Since then, KFC — known globally as a trailblazer in food innovation, especially the well-loved Original Recipe and Hot and Crispy chicken — has installed solar panels on 45 free-standing drive-thru branches from Bataan in the North to Mandaue, Cebu in the South.

These stores are equipped with an on-grid solar panel system, a cost-effective option to supplement energy requirements.

It is targeting to add two more this year and another seven branches in the first three months of 2023. "Our target is to have 54 solar-powered stores by the end of the first quarter of 2023, and this is just one of the many steps being taken by KFC Philippines to be Earth-friendly. Other ongoing programs aside from solar expansion are using e-bikes for delivery launched in 2020, and sustainable packaging," KFC Philippines general manager Maria Judith Marcelo said.

KFC currently has an estimated annual solar power generation of more than 3 million KWH from the 45 KFC restaurants and commissaries.

This translates to a reduction of 699,000 kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions.

"This is aligned with KFC's global commitment to growing sustainably and being good stewards of the environment. KFC is using its scale to minimize environmental impact with a focus on our restaurants and supply chains," Marcelo added.