McDonald’s to Remove Non-Sustainable Plastics from Happy MealsMcDonald’s to Remove Non-Sustainable Plastics from Happy Meals

The U.K. and Ireland branches of McDonald’s will no longer include toys made from non-recycled or non-renewable forms of hard plastics.

Moving forward, every toy will be either a soft toy, paper-based toy or book. The commitments will remove more than 3,000 metric tons of plastic from the business from 2021. This is the largest reduction by McDonald’s to date.

“We care passionately about the environment and are committed to reducing plastic across our business including within our Happy Meal,” says Gareth Helm, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, U.K. and Ireland, McDonald’s. “Families have high expectations of us and we’re working as hard as we can to give them the confidence that their Happy Meal is as sustainable as possible. Getting that right is a big responsibility, but we believe the changes we’re making today have the potential to make a big difference. We want to use our reach and influence to bring customers with us on the journey towards more sustainable living. Today’s announcement reflects our mission to continue to trial, test and learn from innovative sustainable solutions. Most importantly, we’re committed to listening to our customers and working with our suppliers to ensure we are taking every possible opportunity to provide quality food sourced, made, packaged and enjoyed responsibly.”