Washington, DC – McDonald’s announced today that by 2025 all of its guest packaging will come from renewable, recycled, or certified sources and set a goal for all of its restaurants to add a recycling option. The company announced last week that it would stop using foam packaging in its stores, but today’s plan does not appear to impact the single-use plastics it uses around the globe.
In response to today’s announcement, Greenpeace Global Campaigner on Corporate Plastics Graham Forbes said:
“In its announcement, McDonald’s has admitted the challenges around building recycling infrastructure for all of its stores. It makes no sense to dump resources into recycling without making a significant effort to eliminate single-use plastics once and for all. The company showed ambition by announcing plans to eliminate foam packaging globally, but has failed to adequately address its endless throwaway plastics that pollute our oceans, waterways, and communities worldwide.
“Today’s announcement around recycling will do little to change the plastics epidemic that companies like McDonald’s exacerbate. Responsible companies know that we can’t recycle our way out of this problem, but instead of showing real leadership by taking steps to eliminate single-use plastics, it has once again turned to our broken recycling system to avoid taking responsibility for its plastic waste. It is time for companies like McDonald’s to step up and take on the production of plastics — not just put the onus on customers to deal with their mess.”
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Contact: Perry Wheeler, Greenpeace Senior Communications Specialist, P: 301-675-8766
