McDonald’s is set to “release a report next year examining the pros and cons of reusable packaging in its restaurants worldwide,” according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.
McDonald’s has commissioned studies and reports on this matter and, in 2018, pledged to utilise 100% renewable, recycled, or certified sources for its packaging by 2025. Nevertheless, the company has not achieved this target, and there is no assurance that it will indeed fulfill its stated goal.
Fortunately, there is a proven method to compel corporations to cease using single-use plastics: compelling them through legal changes.
There is no denying that single-use plastics have become a pollution crisis, causing devastating impacts on our planet. In recent years, investors, governments, and the public have started exerting pressure on corporations that contribute to the pollution of oceans and landfills with plastic waste, urging them to explore and adopt alternatives.
McDonald’s has modified its practices in France and Germany in response to more stringent laws in those countries regulating the use of single-use plastics in restaurants. In France, McDonald’s is obligated to serve all on-site meals in reusable containers, and in Germany, it is required to offer reusable containers upon request.
As the company has sustained its operations in both of those countries, the restrictions evidently haven’t been so burdensome as to render the sale of fast food economically unfeasible. In other words, McDonald’s can — and does, when compelled — cease using plastic packaging while still remaining profitable.
A similar restriction on single-use plastics was recently passed in England. India has also passed a similar law.
McDonald’s will release its report at some point and is likely to make commitments regarding its future practices. However, as demonstrated by France, Germany, and others, such changes have frequently been implemented only when mandated by law.
