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McDonald's - Styrofoam Packaging

Press Contact

Melanie Janin - email
(202) 572-3240 (office)
(202) 321-5095 (cell)

Materials

Final Report on McDonald's Packaging Project (1991)

Updates

McDonald's Partnership Marks 10th Anniversary
McDonald's Changes Packaging, Pledges to Offset Environmental Impacts, 11/17/2003
McDonald's Wraps Up a Pledge, Offsetting Impacts of Earlier Packaging Changes, 6/1/2004

Our Other McDonald's Work

McDonald's Antibiotics Project: No More Playing Chicken With Antibiotics

On August 1, 1990, the McDonald's Corporation and Environmental Defense Fund joined forces in a unique collaboration: the nation's largest fast-food chain and a leading environmental advocacy group teamed up to conserve resources and cut waste.

This fledgling partnership with a leading brand grew into one of Environmental Defense's core programs.

How we launched our corporate partnerships work »

Goals

Recommend waste-reducing and conservation options for McDonald's to consider:
- Source reduction: using less material
- Reuse: introducing reusables throughout the supply chain
- Recycling: return materials to productive use
- Composting: recycling organic materials when possible

Results

Switched from polystyrene foam "clamshells" to paper-based wraps for its sandwich packaging, providing a 70-90% reduction in sandwich packaging volume, reducing landfill space, energy used and pollutant releases over the lifecycle of the package
Converted to unbleached paper carry-out bags, coffee filters and Big Mac wraps
Reduced paper use by 21% in napkins, and incorporated 30% postconsumer recycled content
Asked suppliers to incorporate 35% postconsumer recycled content into all corrugated shipping boxes

Ripple Effects

Finding value in cutting waste:

In 1999 McDonald's announced that it had reduced 510 million kilowatt-hours through energy efficiency improvements in its stores and created a "buy recycled" program, purchasing nearly $3 billion in products containing recycled materials.
Having seen the strategic value of environmental innovation, the company continues to explore new avenues.
In the decade following the partnership, McDonald's has continued to implement the team’s suggestions. It has:
- eliminated over 300 million pounds of packaging, enough to keep Peoria, Illinois trash-free for 10 years;
- recycled 1 million tons of corrugated boxes, reducing restaurant waste by 30 percent.