The world’s largest restaurant chain is to begin to phase out plastic straws in some European markets as concerns about consumer waste mount.
McDonald’s Corp is to start rolling out paper straws in the UK and Ireland, with plans to phase out the plastic variety in all 1,361 locations there next year.
The company, which has also been testing alternatives in Belgium, is to begin trials at select restaurants in the US, France, Sweden and Norway later this year as it seeks to source more of its packaging across the globe from recycled sources.
Photo: AFP
The move by McDonald’s comes as plastic waste has come under fire globally, particularly for contributing to ocean pollution, and harming birds and sea mammals.
Last month, McDonald’s shareholders overwhelmingly rejected a proposal asking the company for a report about the business risks associated with plastic straws. However, the chain may be forced to phase out plastic straws whether it wants to or not.
British Prime Minister Theresa May earlier this spring said that she aims to ban the sale of single-use plastic straws.
The European Commission last month proposed a bloc-wide ban on single-use plastics such as straws, cutlery and cotton buds, and the European Parliament late on Monday adopted a measure to phase out the plastic bottles, while the Indian government has pledged to ban single-use plastic by 2022.
Given the size of the company’s purchasing power, McDonald’s hopes the shift would “support industrywide change and bring sustainable solutions to scale,” McDonald’s head of global supply chain and sustainability Francesca DeBiase said.
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