News

July 30, 2009

Golden Arches Going for Green

The energy savings from just two of McDonald's green initiatives could top $63 million a year for U.S. stores, and enough programs are cooking under the Golden Arches to fill a 46-page book, according to the company.

The quickservice giant recently highlighted several dozen of the environmental programs it's exploring around the globe, ranging from the production of solar energy at four test stores in Mexico to generating heat and hot water for 11 U.K. restaurants by burning their garbage.

Stores in Italy are trying a new trash receptacle called the Superlizzy, which automatically removes all liquids from bused-tray refuse and compacts the remaining solids. Units across Europe are now using paper instead of plastic salad bowls.

McDonald's Swiss operation encourages headquarters' employees to leave their cars at home by offering half-price tickets for public transportation. Some outlets on the Continent use windmills, solar panels or heat exchangers to cut their fossil-fuel use.

In the United States, stores are being outfitted with a computer program called Fired-Up to help the operators pinpoint when to turn heating equipment on and off. The chain estimates that the power-up/power-down schedule could cut a unit's annual energy costs by $1,500.

Some of the 14,000 domestic restaurants are already saving $3,000 to $6,000 annually by using McDonald's USA Restaurant Energy Survey, which pinpoints the energy burned by every piece of equipment—such as lighting—and building component—such as the roof. The survey is intended to show managers and employees where they should focus their efforts to conserve power.

Similarly, the home office is providing its vendors with an "environmental scorecard" to make them more aware of the resources they use to supply the chain and what impact they may be having on air or water quality. The checklist also is intended to sensitize them to how much waste they channel into landfills, McDonald's notes in its report, "Worldwide Corporate Social Responsibility Report/Responsible Food for a Sustainable Future." The paperless report, posted online at the end of 2008 and updated since then, provides a public accounting of McDonald's Corp.'s efforts to promote sustainability.

More recently, the McDonald's released "Global Best of Green 2009," an online overview for the public of the company's various green initiatives. A printable version runs to 46 pages.

"Global Best of Green" highlights the best of the best—successful local innovations that could be applied into other markets across our system," explains McDonald's Corp. President and COO Ralph Alvarez.

Both communiqués stress that going green is an evolutionary process for the brand. For instance, "Best of Green" refers to the chain's newest LEED-certified restaurant in Chicago as a "green-building lab" where a variety of eco-friendly features can be tested for possible standardization.

"The overall goal of the U.S. green-building strategy is to gain insight and experience while creating a green-building design template," McDonald's notes in its corporate social responsibility report.

Among the green features of the Chicago store are skylights, water-saving toilets, and a "vegetated green roof."

Both of the company's environmental reports cite energy conservation as a major focus. The results of that effort include the development of what McDonald's officials have dubbed the "low-oil volume fryer," which uses 4 percent less energy to cook a given volume of french fries.

Meanwhile, "we continue to explore the feasibility of generating renewable energy onsite at our restaurants through a limited number of small-scale tests," says the company's corporate social responsibility report.

Packaging is another area of emphasis. McDonald's notes it is "in the process of rolling out a global packaging scorecard to better guide our decision-making."

Meanwhile, McDonald's units located inside Walmart stores are trying to cut their paper use by providing only one napkin per meal unless customers request more.