What Does it Mean to be Green?

Exploits in sustainability – McDonalds Case Study

Following on from our last blog re BP, another major brand that took the decision to go ‘green’ is the major fast food franchise McDonalds.

Thinking of McDonalds can evoke childhood memories of cheeseburger happy meals with collectable themed toys to play with. Now the child friendly fast food chain is becoming eco-friendly. In 2006 McDonalds started collaborating with the campaigning organisation Greenpeace, an unlikely occurrence you might think.

The reason for this is because Greenpeace traced some environmental issues relating back to McDonalds, and unlike BP who chose to ignore the presence of Greenpeace, McDonalds decided to do engage proactively regarding the situation. So what was the problem Greenpeace wanted to be resolved?

For years the Amazon rainforests were being deforested for the plantation of soya and cattle ranching. Thorough research was carried out by Greenpeace into the culprit who was destroying the land;

“field investigations, aerial surveillance, interviews with affected communities, industry and political actors, analysis of Brazilian Government satellite and export data, tracking of shipments to the international market and a host of other research techniques”.

(Greenpeace. Eating up the Amazon. http://www.greenpeace.org/international/Global/international/planet-2/report/2006/7/eating-up-the-amazon.pdf)

They discovered that the main culprit was Cargill.  Founded in 1865, Cargill are leading privately owned producers of agriculture, food and financial products. They are “committed to sharing our global knowledge and experience to help meet economic, environmental and social challenges.”

(Cargill. At a glance.  http://www.cargill.com/company/glance/index.jsp)

In 2006 Cargill signed a two year moratorium in partnership with Greenpeace. “…the deal demonstrates the influence consumers can have on events thousands of miles away, and the power that can be brought to bear when business is willing to apply its might to the greatest problems faced by our species and our world.”

(The odd couple: how Greanpeace and McDonalds are working together http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/blog/forests/the-odd-couple)

Now it is hard to find anyone who does not know the golden arches, but it is hard to understand that the chicken nuggets they produce were the results of deforestation.
In reaction to this Greenpeace protestors dressed as chickens and invaded McDonald’s stores throughout the UK in protest against the state of affairs.

So are McDonalds on their way to a more sustainable future? How far have they come? In short, the answer is yes. The reason being; they listened. They are searching for new ways to reduce the use of materials in their packaging, thus reducing weight and volume in their food cartons. They aim to reuse materials whenever possible but say,

 ”…as long as they do not compromise our safety and sanitation standards, customer service and expectations”.

(McDonalds. Global environmental commitment, http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/sustainability/library/policies_programs/environmental_responsibility/global_environmental_commitment.html)

A few years back McDonalds opened up the first store with environmentally friendly refrigeration. The global fast food giant equipped some of its stores with energy efficient, natural lighting, plumbing and recycled rain water. Many of the restaurants have plans to be made into the eco friendly structures, including premises in France, Germany and Canada.

Some restaurants have already implemented this. France has opened their first one in Plaisance du Touch, with solar power water heating, rainwater harvesting and waterless urinals. The structure has also been designed to minimise disruption from architectural, sound and odour perspectives.

The food cartons have been redesigned to create less impact on the environment. The materials used in the packaging are from trusted environmental sources and less material has been used to make them. Unbleached fibres have also been used to reduce the impact on the environment.

“Currently, 82% of McDonald’s consumer packaging is made from renewable materials, and we’re aiming for higher percentages in the future.”

(McDonalds. Recycle, renew: http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/our_story/values_in_action/recycle_renew.html)

McDonalds are using their recycled cooking oil into fuel to run their franchise by turning the oil into biodiesel for their trucks, and it seems to have made a positive impact. They state that they managed to save 3,500 tons of CO2 by the end of 2008, that’s 1,500 family cars being taken of the road.

Greenpeace seemed happy with the efforts and results of McDonalds ‘green’ attitude and decided to praise the global fast food giant, even if they didn’t want to;

“McDonalds is one of the last corporations we want to say anything good about. We don't like a lot of what it does and what it stands for but we have to take a deep breath here, and give them some credit where it is due.”

(Greenpeace. What do you do when a bad guy does a good deed? http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/features/mcdonald-s-bad-guys-do-good/)

Have Greenpeace inherited a soft persona? As everyone knows they are hardly sensitive when it comes to exposing organisations and their neglect for the planet. However, perhaps one can agree that once in a while, it is good for Greenpeace to encourage and praise companies that work to turn their business around for the good of the planet.