Boston, February 20, 2025 – Bloomin’ Brands, parent company of several of the largest U.S. restaurant chains, has agreed to strengthen its commitment to protect forests when sourcing ingredients for its 1,480 restaurants around the world. The move came after Green Century Capital Management filed a shareholder proposal asking the company to assess its impact on biodiversity and nature loss.
“We congratulate Bloomin’ Brands on strengthening its forest protection policies,” said Leslie Samuelrich, president of Green Century. “When you go out for dinner, you shouldn’t have to worry that people are cutting down forests in the Amazon so you can eat your meal.”
Bloomin’ Brands owns Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Bonefish Grill and several other casual dining chains. Through direct ownership and franchises it is responsible for 1,150 restaurants in the United States and smaller numbers in other countries.
Beef and Palm Oil Drive Tropical Deforestation
Beef and palm oil production are among the largest reasons for the loss of rainforests worldwide. In exchange for Green Century withdrawing its shareholder proposal, Bloomin’ Brands agreed to strengthen its policies to protect forests when sourcing these ingredients. For the first time, the company will disclose the percentage of beef sourced from Brazil. In addition, Bloomin’ says it will ensure that 60% of that Brazilian beef will come from verified deforestation-free sources. The company says it aims to increase this commitment to 100% in the future.
Bloomin’ will also improve the traceability of its palm oil products and agreed to include biodiversity impacts in the double-materiality assessment it is undertaking in 2025.
“Bloomin’ Brands has a significant presence in Brazil, raising the possibility that beef sold in the company’s restaurants contributes to forest loss in the Amazon,” said Andrew Shalit, shareholder advocate at Green Century. “We appreciate the company’s willingness to begin tracking and disclosing its beef sourcing specific to Brazil. We hope this will pave the way for a commitment to 100% deforestation-free beef in the near future.” Green Century has been pressing Bloomin’ Brands to improve its forest protection policies for several years. In 2023, 43% of the company’s shareholders voted in favor of a shareholder proposal by Green Century to address climate change and improve forest protection.
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