Page 369 - Design for Environment A Guide to Sustainable Product Development

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on minimizing the environmental footprint in the sourcing and
design of food packaging [5]. For example:
• McDonald’s strives to source raw materials for paper-based
consumer packaging from well-managed forests and is de -
veloping a comprehensive forestry policy. For example, car-
tonboard for sandwich clamshells in Australia is sourced
from Forest Stewardship Council accredited suppliers. In
Germany, France, and the United Kingdom, nearly 57% of
the paper fiber for McDonald’s packaging comes from certi-
fied forests.
• Approximately 82% of the consumer packaging used in
McDonald’s nine largest markets is made from renewable
materials (paper or wood-fiber), and approximately 30% of
the material comes from recycled fiber. Recycled paper is
used in trayliners, napkins, bags, sandwich containers (see
Figure 19.4), and other restaurant items such as shipping con-
tainers. In 2007, McDonald’s purchased almost $530 million
in recycled content in the United States alone.
• In 2007, McDonald’s voluntarily phased out the coating on
some food packaging that could produce perfluorooctanoic
acid (PFOA), a chemical shown to persist in the environment.
By the end of 2007, the phase-out was completed for the
majority of packaging items in all four major geographic areas
of the world, and it was completed in the first quarter of 2008.
• McDonald’s Europe achieved a nearly 2,000 ton per year
reduction in the consumption of nonrenewable materials
through the launch of a paper salad bowl and wooden coffee
stirrer. Redesign of the McFlurry spoon eliminated 286 metric
tons of polypropylene plastic, and 423 metric tons of paper
materials were saved through enhancements to the Big Mac
carton.
• McDonald’s Australia has incorporated 35% post-consumer
recycled PET plastic in cold beverage and dessert cups, re -

FIGURE 19.4 Over 80% of McDonald’s
consumer packaging comes from
renewable materials, with about 30%
recycled content.