McDonald’s says 80% of its packaging from renewable, recycled sources

McDonald's Corp on Thursday announced that in 2020, approximately 80% of guest packaging sourced for McDonald’s restaurants came from renewable, recycled, or certified sources.

It also said that 25% of McDonald’s restaurants in 30 largest markets offer guests the opportunity to recycle packaging waste.

The US-based burger chain said in its annual sustainability report that in 2020 99.6% of the paper bags, food wrappers, napkins, cup carriers and other fiber-based materials it used to package meals for customers came from recycled or certified sustainable fiber sources, up from 92% in 2019.

Looking at the impact of sustainable and recycled products and packaging, many restaurants across globe are working to reduce environmental harm from packaging, including using more recyclable or compostable materials and letting customers reuse cups or bowls.

“We have achieved an 8.5% reduction in the absolute emissions of our restaurants and offices towards our 36% reduction goal, and a 5.9% reduction in supply chain emissions intensity towards our target of a 31% reduction (from 2015 baseline),” it added.

It also said that McDonald’s achieved 98% to 100% on our 2020 responsible sourcing goals focused on our priority products – beef, soy for chicken feed, coffee, palm oil, fish and fiber.