McDonald’s is Making Some Big Changes to Help Fight Climate Change

In an effort to help climate change, fast food giant McDonalds is giving its Happy Meal toy a change.

The company is planning to make the iconic toy they sell in every Happy Meal more sustainable by the year 2025.

In order to accomplish their goal, McDonalds will be workign closely with its supply chain to use renewable, certified or recycled materials.

If all goes to plan, the company estimates that this will result in a 90% reduction in virgin plastic, or new material created from oil instead of being recycled with the next four years.

Jenny McColloch, McDonald’s Chief Sustainability Officer, said that this transition is in line with the next generation of consumers who “care deeply about protecting the planet and what we can do to help make our business more sustainable.”

McDonald’s is aiming to provide “fun” in every Happy Meal toy, by working with not only suppliers, but families, play experts and engineers to innovate designs.

The company also wants to create interactive games that may win over adults, in addition to customizable crafts and build-your-own construction projects.

Projects include “fan-favorites” like Batman that previously came as a plastic figurine, but may now reappear as a three-dimensional (3D) figure that consumers can build themself.

The company additionally is exploring ways to recycle old toys in order to create new restaurant trays. McDonald’s also wants to replace plastic wrappers on the toys with new plant based and fiber packaging.

Louise Soper, Warner Bros. Pictures SVP of global brand partnerships has said, “We applaud McDonald’s push for more sustainable toys around the globe and we’re actively imagining what the next
batch of your family’s favorite characters will look like in a way that’s just as fun and even better for the environment.”

Disclaimer: We have no position in any of the companies mentioned and have not been compensated for this article.