In 2018, one of the restaurant chain Cofoco’s big dreams came true: the completion of their new major investment, a solar park the size of nine football pitches. The solar park means that the restaurant chain is now completely carbon neutral.

With its collaboration with Better Energy, Cofoco becomes the first restaurant chain in Denmark to make a complete transition to solar energy. The solar park near Nees in Northern Jutland has an annual energy production of 5000MWh. This can cover the energy consumption of approximately 3,100 average-sized families in Denmark. The majority of the green energy generated will be consumed at Cofocos 13 restaurants and the excess of approximately 1500 MWh will mean that with the expansion of the chain, Cofoco is guaranteed the usage of green energy.

“It is no secret that we have some major climate challenges ahead, and we all have a responsibility to take action and change the course of this development. The partnership with Better Energy caters to our energy needs using solar energy and it is a major step towards our conversion to green in Denmark. We believe that this development should, among other things, be spearheaded by companies like us, and we hope that we can inspire other companies to start similar initiatives, so that we can speed up the conversion to green across Denmark,” says Christian Lytje, partner and director at Cofoco

It was Cofoco’s wish that an actionable and obviously sustainable initiative was undertaken according to Rasmus Lildholdt Kjær, CEO at Better Energy, and that the collaboration could lead the way in setting new standards for how companies in widely different industries can take their share of the responsibility.

“By converting to green energy, we show our guests and the broader public, that we are committed to giving them a great dining experience, while at the same time taking responsibility for the impact that experience has on the environment,” says Christian Lytje.

The solar park is a huge investment for the restaurant chain, but according to Christian Lytje, it is only one of several initiatives that aim to improve the sustainability of the restaurant chain’s operations.

Cofoco is a part of REGA, a new industrywide initiative that works purposefully and ambitiously with corporate social responsibility. By participating in REGA, Cofoco commits to working systematically to prevent adverse impacts on human rights, including those of employees, guests, and the general public, to reducing the adverse impacts on the environment and to sharpening the focus on anti-corruption. Read more about REGA here.