- Title: McPlant burgers on menu as McDonald's aims for net zero
- Date: 10th December 2021
- Summary: SHROPSHIRE, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (DECEMBER 9, 2021) (REUTERS) DRONE FOOTAGE OF MCDONALD'S RESTAURANT (MUTE) DRONE FOOTAGE SHOWING SOLAR PANELS ON RESTAURANT ROOF (MUTE) INTERIOR OF RESTAURANT VARIOUS OF FURNITURE IN RESTAURANT MADE OF RECYCLED MATERIALS SIGN READING (English): "Great Restaurants. Working towards net zero and closing the loop on waste"/ CHAIRS SEATING MA
- Embargoed: 24th December 2021 16:31
- Keywords: McDonald's McDonald's UK McDonald's net zero carbon neutral emissions net zero sustainable restaurant
- Location: SHROPSHIRE AND LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
- City: SHROPSHIRE AND LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
- Country: United Kingdom
- Topics: Climate Change,Climate Policy and Regulation,Environment,Europe,General News
- Reuters ID: LVA001F7GEXC7
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Powered by wind and solar and fitted-out with sustainable materials, McDonald's says it's opened a net zero carbon restaurant it hopes will be a blueprint for the future.
The restaurant, in Shropshire, in the north-west of England, is powered using energy from 92 square metres of solar panels and two wind turbines on site, the fast food giant said.
The walls are insulated with British sheep's wool which was otherwise destined for landfill, and the building cladding made from recycled IT equipment and household white goods, such as washing machines.
The Drive-Thru lane was constructed using recycled tyres and kerb stones were made from thousands of recycled plastic bottles.
McDonald's says the model will be rolled out to other sites from 2022, with an aim to reach net zero emissions for all 1,400 restaurants and offices in the UK by 2030.
Climate research non-profit group CDP said it was a positive message to the consumer on moving to a net-zero future, but the main environmental impacts from McDonalds remained in their supply chain.
"What really matters is what's on the menu and where is that sourced from? And that is going to be beef and chicken, and you've got a huge amounts of commodity driven deforestation and emissions behind that that we need to dig into and manage and reduce," said Dexter Galvin, the global director of corporations and supply chains at CDP.
McDonald's is one of the largest beef purchasers in the world. Roughly 80% of its total emissions come from its supply chain, in particular its use of beef, chicken, dairy and other proteins.
Galvin said, globally, McDonald's emits 40 million tons of CO2 through its supply chain, whereas the direct emissions from their restaurants, known as scope one and two emissions, account for 1 million tons of CO2.
McDonald's set a new target in October to cut global greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050, from the beef in its burgers to the light bulbs in its restaurants.
The net zero goal includes emissions from direct sources like corporate offices and restaurants and indirect sources, particularly franchised restaurants and suppliers' goods and services.
In 2021, the fast food chain released its first vegan burger made using a plant-based patty, co-developed with Beyond Meat, a Californian meat substitute company.
(Production: Ben Makori, Lucy Marks) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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