Washington, DC – Burger King announced today that it will launch a green packaging pilot program for eight of its frequently used single-use items, including forks, spoons, knives, drink lids, Frypods®, Whopper® wrappers, and napkins. The new packaging will be tested in 51 restaurants in Miami and utilizes a variety of alternative materials like unbleached virgin paperboard, plant-based plastic, and recycled fiber.
The company will also expand its partnership with Loop to test reusable packaging in two new cities — Paris and London. Burger King previously announced its pilot with Loop would be launched in New York, Portland, and Tokyo.
In response to this news, Greenpeace USA Oceans Campaign Director John Hocevar said:
“While it’s great to see Burger King working to address its massive single-use plastics footprint, the solution is not to simply swap some of its packaging for other throwaway materials with greener names. The company must fundamentally rethink what convenience looks like for its customers and work to eliminate single-use packaging entirely. Its partnership with Loop provides a framework for what that could look like, and Burger King should continue to scale up that and similar reusable programs worldwide.
“Companies that want to address single-use plastic pollution will not find a silver bullet through packaging like bioplastics or paper. Moving from one throwaway packaging material to another simply shifts the burden to other areas of our environment. For the fast food sector, true leadership involves ushering in a new era where convenience does not mean using something for a few minutes then throwing it away.”
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Contact: Perry Wheeler, Greenpeace USA Senior Communications Specialist, P: 301-675-8766
