McDonald’s opened a nearly plastic-free restaurant. More specifically, it experimented with a Better McDonald’s Store for 10 days in Berlin, Germany. This experiment allowed McDonald’s to test what might work to reduce plastic use and help the future environment.
According to a McDonald’s August 18, 2019 news release, the company needs to comply “with a ban on many single-use plastic items in the European Union taking effect in 2021″. The nearly plastic-free Better McDonald’s Store was open in in Berlin for 10 days. Its purpose was “to facilitate an open discussion about what works, what doesn’t, and the challenges with possible solutions”. The company welcomed the opportunity for customers to provide feedback. While McDonald’s is clear that they are not ready to implement all of these changes right now, they are launching pilot prorgrams and making changes to make packaging more sustainable. The Better McDonald’s Store is being replicated in other markets. They state: “We’re actively testing new packaging solutions and recycling initiatives in our restaurants around the world.”