What is McDonalds doing to help the environment?
A. McDonald’s is absolutely committed to preserving and protecting the environment. We realize that to be a business leader, we must be an environmental leader, too. McDonald’s is committed to taking a total “life cycle” approach to solid waste. We follow three main courses of action: reduce, reuse, and recycle. To seek advice on specific environmental issues in the U.S., we have worked in partnership with such nonprofit organizations as the Environmental Defense Fund, Conservation International, and the National Wildlife Federation. We enacted a comprehensive Waste Reduction Action Plan in 1991, which now includes more than 100 environmental initiatives. Also, since 1990, we’ve reduced packaging by more than 55 million pounds and our Buy Recycle Program has purchased nearly $3 billion of recycled products for equipping and constructing, packaging for our restaurants. In the area of cutting energy consumption, McDonald’s joined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s voluntary Green
McDonald’s is recognized as an environmental leader for our commitment and our actions – to protect the environment for future generations. We recognize that our customers’ quality of life tomorrow will be affected by our environmental efforts today. McDonald’s Canada demonstrated industry leadership in the 1980’s by leading the foodservice industry in phasing out CFCs in the manufacturing of polystyrene foam food containers. We still have foam breakfast packaging. We continually monitor and refine our Waste Reduction Action Plan that focuses on the three R’s – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle – in our restaurants and with our suppliers. McDonald’s has always been responsive to our customers and, over the years, has sought the advice of industry experts and the environmental community to ensure that we continue to make a difference in this important area.
