Subway puts Cornell MBAs to work on waste reduction

Subway and students in Cornell University's M.B.A. program are working together to come up with new ways to cut the brand's waste. Cornell graduate M.B.A. Sustainable Global Enterprise Immersion Program students are formed into multidisciplinary teams to develop solutions for corporate or NGO-sponsored projects focused on social and environmental issues, a news release said. 

For Subway, the students have been asked to come up with additional ways for the chains 24,000 independently owned U.S. restaurants to come up with waste reduction ideas that comply with their individual local waste removal contracts, as well as varying state and local guidelines.

"This is an opportunity for these Cornell students and Subway to learn from each other while finding a way to improve communities," Subway Vice President of Quality and Sustainability John Scott said in the release. "For the students, it's a chance to see the challenges and opportunities we face as a global company firsthand and explore ways to address those challenges. And for Subway, we're thrilled to get a fresh and unique perspective from the students to help us find a different way to lighten our environmental footprint."

The four-student Cornell team visited Subway restaurants to review current practices in front- and back-of-house operations, surveyed more than 2,000 franchisees on current waste management efforts and conducted extensive industry research.

"After the Cornell students present their findings, we will thoroughly review their report and a project team will evaluate the feasibility of implementing their recommendations," Subway Director of Global Sustainability Andrea Seek, said in the release. "We know we will all be learning from this effort and are excited to use the students' work as a catalyst to drive future change."