McDonald’s Canada announces plan to transition to recycled packaging

McDonald’s Canada plans to source 100 per cent of primary guest packaging from renewable, recycled, or certified sources by the end of 2025 to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

“We recognize we have an important opportunity to help serve up a better tomorrow, and the actions we’re working on today are an investment in our future,” Michèle Boudria, president and CEO of McDonald’s Canada, said in a statement. “When you live and operate in almost every Canadian community, serving more than a million guests every day, every single change – big and small – can have a noticeable impact.”

The announcement follows a series of environmental moves the restaurant chain has made over the past few years, including introducing 20 per cent smaller, 100 per cent recycled fibre napkins; eliminating the use of extruded polystyrene foam from gravy bowls and breakfast platters; and removing plastic cutlery, stir sticks and straws.

Moves that McDonald’s Canada still has in the works include reducing the virgin fossil fuel-based plastics used in Happy Meal toys and offer Happy Meal toys made from more renewable, recycled, or certified materials by the end of 2025.