Words by Tess Becker
Some of the most common producers of waste and single-use plastics come from large food service corporations, providing things like plastic forks and spoons, to-go packaging, straws, and much more.
The fast-food giant McDonald’s is one such massive contributor – but they’ve actively been making efforts to improve their global footprint, particularly in France.
Twitter user Juan Buis, who lives in Paris, shared a photo on social media of the silicone-style reusable packaging the fast food giant is trialling.
"Absolutely loving the design of this reusable packaging that's being introduced at McDonalds France," he wrote.
Why France?
In 2020, France passed something called the AGEC Law (Waste for a Circular Economy) which essentially banned many single-use plastics in the country.
Among the products banned by the AGEC Law are many containing microplastics, polystyrene fast food containers, plastic fast food cutlery used on site, plastic fast food toys, plastic packaging for mailings, plastic water bottles at public events, and certain non-recyclable plastic packaging.
To be able to continue business in the country without breaking the law, McDonald’s started developing reusable alternatives for things like its burger boxes and plastic packaging and cutlery.
Ultimately, these packaging changes could prevent 8,000 tons of waste per year as part of the “zero plastic” strategy championed by the brand.
“For years, a key pillar of our packaging strategy has been to reduce the materials we use by lightweighting and optimizing our packaging,” McDonald’s writes in a release. “We’ll accelerate our progress to reduce materials across our portfolio, redesigning some of our most iconic products to eliminate unnecessary packaging and increase opportunities for recovery.”
