McDonald’s Says All Its Packaging Will Be Recyclable by 2025
To make customers feel better about eating the food, McDonald’s has come up with a plan to make its bags, cups, and wrappers better for the environment. It will take seven years, and Big Macs will probably still have 500 calories by then — but, assuming they still require a box, this packaging will be from 100 percent renewable or recyclable sources. Getting eco-woke appears to be the chain’s latest strategy to hook younger customers, who like patronizing good corporate citizens, and also 80 percent of whom have never tried a Bic Mac.
Last week, McDonald’s also announced it was eliminating foam cups by the end of 2018. (Some stores apparently still use those, yes.) Along with today’s pivot to ecofriendlier packaging, the chain is also pledging to give all locations recycling bins by 2025. Right now, about half of McDonald’s packaging is recycled, and only 10 percent of its 37,000 stores worldwide have onsite recycling bins for customers. Once the transition is complete, bags for food, soda cups, and burger boxes will contain materials that are “recycled, renewable, or certified” by third-party organizations, with “a preference for” Forest Stewardship Council certification — this ensures paper, cardboard, and whatnot come from responsibly managed forests.
Reuters says creating a serious recycling program was “customers’ No. 1 request,” now that McDonald’s has satisfied their last top demand: all-day breakfast.
