Oak Brook, Illinois – McDonald’s Corporation on April 4 announced its support of the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games’ (LOCOG’s) vision to deliver the most sustainable Games possible. As a Worldwide Sponsor and Official Restaurant of the Olympic Games, McDonald’s will highlight various aspects of its sustainability journey, including the environment – one of five key areas of focus for the company.
For the London 2012 Games, McDonald’s is building four new Olympic venue restaurants on the Olympic Park. McDonald’s will recycle and reuse 100 percent of the furniture and equipment, and nearly all of the building materials from these restaurants, for future and existing restaurants. All types of materials – from the beams to the wiring to the kitchen equipment – will be labeled for sorting and relocating to future destinations following the Games.
McDonald’s also will highlight its long-standing environmental practices from reducing energy consumption and using renewable energy, to recycling materials and sustainable sourcing of food.
“Over the past two decades, McDonald’s has made significant strides in our environmental efforts. We continue to identify ways to do even more around increasing efficiencies, using fewer resources and reducing our environmental impact throughout our restaurants and supply chain,” said Bob Langert, Vice President, Sustainability at McDonald’s. “Our involvement with the Olympic Games is an opportunity to spotlight some of our best practices in key areas such as energy efficiency, restaurant design and sustainable supply chain, to help LOCOG meet its goal of putting on the most sustainable Games possible.”
“We are committed to delivering truly sustainable Games, and we’re looking at every aspect to ensure we’re setting new standards in how major events are staged,” said David Stubbs, Head of Sustainability at LOCOG. “Sponsors play a key role and we appreciate the work McDonald’s has done to help us achieve this goal.”
McDonald’s environmental actions extend beyond recycling the building materials, furniture and equipment at the Games. Used cooking oil from the McDonald’s Olympic venue restaurants will be converted into biodiesel to fuel the company’s delivery trucks. Since May 2010, McDonald’s UK has recycled its used cooking oil into biodiesel. This effort provides a carbon savings of around 6,000 tons per year, and is the equivalent of 2,400 cars removed from the road every single year.
McDonald’s UK
McDonald’s UK continues to take leadership action around key environmental initiatives, including:
- Farm Forward: McDonald’s UK recently launched this five-part program focused on supporting British and Irish farmers, with the goal of increasing the sustainability of its supply chain. The initiative aims to provide a new “carbon calculator”, which will help farmers measure carbon impacts from their working practices and understand how to make changes in order to cut carbon and costs. Additionally, it includes a training program for young farmers, and funding for research and innovation in the British and Irish agriculture sectors.
- Open Farms: McDonald’s UK began Open Farms in 2010. Through this program, key stakeholders, members of the public, farming leaders, media, and local dignitaries are invited to visit some of the farms that supply McDonald’s UK’s menu and will supply the food for the McDonald’s Olympic venue restaurants. These tours demonstrate best practices in environmental and animal welfare standards, and showcase the high-quality ingredients McDonald’s uses in its food. McDonald’s UK is a long-term supporter of British agriculture and spends more than $ 480 million (GBP 300 million) each year on its UK supply chain, purchasing from thousands of farmers who provide a wide range of food from beef to free range eggs.
- Energy-Saving Technologies: Several years ago, McDonald’s UK installed new energy-saving technologies in its 1,200 restaurants. The company served 20 percent more customers in 2010 than in 2007, but in the process saw a reduction in energy use that equates to a carbon savings of more than 65,000 tons, the equivalent of about 26,000 cars off the road.
Sustainability Beyond the Games – McDonald’s Global Commitment
Sustainability is part of McDonald’s brand heritage, and the company strives to make a difference by focusing on five key areas: nutrition and well-being, sustainable supply chain, environmental responsibility, employee experience and community. McDonald’s has a long record of sustainability leadership, action and partnering to create positive change. Last month, McDonald’s announced its 2012 Best of Sustainable Supply Chain winners, recognizing the importance of sustainable initiatives in the company’s supply chain. The report highlighted 51 stories of supply chain partners addressing challenges to help improve sustainable sourcing, the environment, communities and employee wellness across the world.
In 2009, the company established a more comprehensive and proactive Sustainable Land Management Commitment to increase the amount of agricultural raw materials for its food and packaging products that come from sustainable sources.
McDonald’s vision of a supply chain is one that conserves biodiversity, maintains rare and critical ecosystems and landscapes, and meets economic and cultural needs of local communities, while ensuring high-quality, safe and affordable supply inputs throughout the company.
Source: McDonald’s.
