Sustainable Packaging Makes Sense

Small changes can make a big difference

When you order a Big Mac, saving trees is probably one of the last things on your mind. (We would venture to guess you’re a lot more focused on your growling stomach.) But according to the Environmental Defense Paper Calculator, McDonald’s saves nearly 161,000 trees a year thanks to the fact that the innovative container that holds the Big Mac (as well as the Quarter Pounder and Filet-O-Fish) is made with at least 37 percent recycled content.

McDonald’s knows that small changes like these that can make a big difference in cost savings and reducing our impact on the environment. That’s why we partnered with packaging supplier HAVI Global Solutions in 2007 to develop Eco-Filter 2.0, a global scorecard that helps us make better-informed decisions about our packaging.

The scorecard has already been used to assess new packaging in the U.S., Europe and Australia. Here are just a few examples of how McDonald’s has found ways to make our packaging better for the environment and our business:

• Europe uses renewable resources. In 2004, McDonald’s Europe initiated a “Forestry Policy” to ensure that all wood and wood-based products came from legal and acceptable sources. Today, approximately 80 percent of McDonald’s Europe packaging is made from renewable resources, and 63 percent of the paper used is made from recycled material. The goal? To produce all of its packaging with 100 percent renewable sources by 2010.

• Canada goes brown to be green. In 2008, McDonald’s Canada switched from white napkins and bags to brown (unbleached) napkins and bags, both saving money and reducing energy, wood and water consumption.

• Mexico tests green paper products. McDonald’s Mexico worked with local supplier Kimberly-Clark to test a “green” line of paper products that incorporate recycled fiber. Based on the results of the pilot, it plans to introduce recycled napkins in its restaurants in September 2009, improving the unit cost as well as its use of sustainable resources.

Want to learn about McDonald’s other environmental innovations? Check out our 2009 Global Best of Green report.