Emojis hold a quite power. They can defuse a sarcastic text, rectify a miscommunicated message, or simply make someone smile. Emojis have also come under fire for their designs, most recently sparking controversy over Google’s simple salad and cheeseburger, which both received a makeover following consumer complaints. However, Max Burgers, a Swedish fast-food chain, has its own opinion about emojis. Instead of griping over the cheese slice placement in the burger, the company believes that the depiction of meat is a larger issue. To combat the meat-heavy emoji designs and promote more plant-based options, Max Burgers released its own collection of green burger emojis.
Richard Bergfors, CEO of Max Burgers, said, “There is not a lack of great tasting green burgers or vegetarian food, but there is a lack of green options among emoji burgers.” He continued, “Since emojis in general embrace diversity in many ways, we want to contribute and let everyone have the opportunity to choose green burgers when sending messages.”
The chain, which claims to serve “healthier fast-food,” offers animal-based burgers as well as vegan and vegetarian options. The “Green Family” menu debuted in 2016 and offers a vegan BBQ Sandwich made with Sweden’s popular vegan meat, Oumph! The burger is available at the chain’s 130 locations across several countries, including Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Poland, and the United Arab Emirates. Max Burgers is committed to sustainability and has set a goal to serve 50 percent of its meals as non-red meat alternatives in the next four years, according to Sustainable Brands.
Max Burger’s green burger emojis are available for Apple and Google devices and feature all seven of the chain’s vegan and vegetarian menu items, from the vegan BBQ Sandwich to its Crispy Nuggets. Tobias Karlsson, CMO of Max Burgers, noted, “Sustainability runs in our DNA, so it makes a lot of sense for us to push green options in the digital world as well. We simply had to take this opportunity and react on this symbolic detail in your phone that reflects a phenomenon which has a big impact on the global climate.”
Image Credit: ACNE and Max Burgers
