DGD to convert all used cooking oil from Chick-fil-A’s US, Canadian restaurants to renewable diesel

Chick-fil-A Inc. is contracting with Darling Ingredients Inc. for collection of its restaurants’ used cooking oil (UCO), Darling announced March 21. Darling Ingredients’ service brand, DAR PRO Solutions, will collect UCO from all Chick-fil-A restaurants in the U.S. and Canada, after which the material will be processed into renewable diesel through Darling’s Diamond Green Diesel joint venture with Valero Energy Corp.

“We admire Chick-fil-A’s commitment to reducing food waste and are proud to be part of a solution that keeps food waste out of our landfills while delivering a renewable fuel that reduces greenhouse gas emissions,” said Sandra Dudley, a Darling executive.

Rodney Bullard, vice president of corporate social responsibility for Chick-fil-A, said, “At Chick-fil-A, we are committed to caring—and that includes caring for others through our food and caring for our planet. Our innovative partnership with DAR PRO Solutions helps us be responsible stewards of the resources at our restaurants and allows us to support the future of renewable transportation fuel—all while positively influencing the communities we serve.”

Each year, Darling Ingredients turns hundreds of millions of pounds of UCO into renewable diesel through Diamond Green Diesel. Diamond Green Diesel is projected to produce more than 700 million gallons of renewable diesel this year.