McDonald's to eliminate plastic straws from its UK and Irish supply chains

McDonald's has pledged to eliminate plastic straws from its UK and Ireland supply chains from 2019, transitioning to paper alternatives. 

The fast food giant announced a phased rollout of paper straws in all 1,361 restaurants in the UK and Ireland with completion set for 2019 as well as plans to test alternatives to plastic straws in multiple markets throughout the globe later this year.

McDonald’s UK and Ireland will begin transitioning to paper straws in all of its restaurants starting in September.

The move supports McDonald’s goal to source 100% of guest packaging from renewable, recycled, or certified sources by 2025 and to have guest packaging recycling in all restaurants globally.

SEE ALSO:

• McDonald's signs deal to drive down carbon footprint of European fleet

• McDonalds vow to end deforestation in its global supply chain

• Read the latest issue of Supply Chain Digital here

“McDonald’s is committed to using our scale for good and working to find sustainable solutions for plastic straws globally,” said Francesca DeBiase Executive Vice President, Global Supply Chain and Sustainability.

“In addition to the exciting news from the UK today, we are testing straw alternatives in other countries to provide the best experience for our customers. We hope this work will support industry wide change and bring sustainable solutions to scale.”

In addition to tests that began earlier this year in the UK, McDonald’s has also begun testing alternatives to plastic straws in Belgium. Later this year, McDonald’s will begin testing alternatives in select restaurants in the U.S., France, Sweden, Norway and Australia.