Since the beginning of our operation in Latin America and the Caribbean, Arcos Dorados and the McDonald’s brand have been committed to thanking, recognizing and giving back to the communities where we operate. These communities have opened their doors to our Brand, allowing us to successfully develop our business. While we have a long history of collaborating and contributing in a variety of ways, starting in 2016 we developed a more strategic approach to our social, environmental and governance efforts in order to deliver an even greater positive impact.
The objective of our Social Commitment and Sustainable Development department is to establish and make real Arcos Dorados’ commitment to the Society and Sustainable Development of the communities where we operate. Arcos Dorados’ presence in 20 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean positions it as a leading company in the region that generates large-scale social, environmental and economic impacts. As leaders, we have the responsibility to prioritize the wellbeing of our employees and guests, offering personal development opportunities as well as contributing to local economies through our sustainable supply chain while we make every effort to minimize the environmental impact of our operations.
We seek an appropriate balance between our commercial activities and our social impact, especially among young people in our countries, and we believe in our obligation to take care of Planet Earth. All these ingredients are a part of our Recipe for the Future, or “Receta del Futuro”, which is our clear roadmap – aligned with McDonald’s global Scale for Good initiative – to ensure that we will meet our commitments. We recognize that our actions, experience, resources and scale have a direct connection to the Sustainable Development Goals published by the United Nations. In that sense, we have reviewed the Goals and identified the actionable areas where we have the greatest impact.
We invite you to go through our sixth Social Impact and Sustainable Development Report, in which we reflect all the initiatives we implement to leave a positive footprint on the planet.
Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc. is a publicly traded foreign private issuer listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The Company’s corporate governance practices are regulated by the New York Stock Exchange and the Company’s By-laws as well as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and British Virgin Islands law. The Company has approved a Standards of Business Conduct designed to provide reasonable assurance that Company directors, officers and employees act in accordance with not only the letter but also the spirit of the laws and regulations that apply to our business and with the highest ethical standards of business conduct. Our Board is currently comprised of ten members, including four directors that meet the standards for independence under the rules of the NYSE. The SEC and NYSE require that corporations with shares listed on the exchange comply with certain corporate governance standards. As a foreign private issuer, we are only required to comply with certain SEC and NYSE rules relating to audit committees, certain SEC disclosure requirements and periodic certifications to the NYSE. The SEC also requires that we provide a summary of the significant differences between our corporate governance practices which can be found in our Annual Report (20-F) filed with the SEC.