I have great memories of McDonald’s breakfasts from my time as an undergraduate student. Ordering McDonald’s breakfast at 3:45am was a tradition on weekends and during study weeks. For ~10 Singapore dollars, I’d get a sumptuous breakfast and enough calories to take me through most of the day.
Those memories take me back to McDonald’s from time to time. Every time I dig into my McBreakfast, I feel that flood of great memories join me.
Yesterday’s trip was made extra special, however, thanks to a complete absence of plastic cutlery. I’ve since learnt that McDonald’s has been at work (example) attempting to replace all plastic cutlery, straws, and packaging with sustainable materials (more). They’re also going to be testing fiber lids, reusable cups, and the like with the goal of being 100% sustainable by 2025 – with strong progress made so far.
This is huge.
Here’s why – when McDonald’s introduced apples into the “Happy Meal” for kids in the early 2000s, the chain instantly became one of the largest buyer of apples on the planet. Decisions made by a behemoth like McDonald’s shapes entire industries and has ripple effects everywhere. Industrializing sustainable cutlery could make it possible for smaller chains to switch too.
It is awesome to see the McDonald’s team play a leading role here. I’m hopeful we’ll see a lot more progress in the coming months.
