Beginning in 2021, McDonald’s customers in select UK restaurants will be able to choose a reusable hot beverage cup which they can return to be safely cleaned and reused
Today McDonald’s Corporation has announced a global partnership with TerraCycle’s circular packaging service, Loop, to test a new reusable cup model for hot beverages. The initiative, which will first be trialed in 2021 across select McDonald’s restaurants in the UK, helps customers enjoy a McDonald’s hot drink in a reusable cup, while cutting down on packaging waste. The model marks significant progress toward innovative circular packaging solutions that help protect the planet for communities today, and in the future.
This unique new partnership will conveniently allow customers to reduce waste by choosing a durable Loop-created cup, for a small deposit. The deposit can then be redeemed by returning the cup to participating McDonald’s UK restaurants in order to be safely washed through the Loop system and reused again in McDonald’s restaurants.
“We’re on a journey to rethink how we package products to give customers options that reduce waste, maintain the highest safety standards, and enhance the McDonald’s experience they expect and enjoy. That’s an innovation challenge, and it’s one we think the Loop model has potential to help us solve,” said Jenny McColloch, Vice President, Global Sustainability, McDonald’s Corporation. “Our commitment to communities is one of our core values as a company, and this pilot will generate important local insights and lessons to share along the way. We’re excited to assess how new reusable packaging models could work within our system as we accelerate circular packaging solutions with our partners around the globe.”
Additionally, the Loop partnership meets McDonald’s cleanliness and safety standards, which have only become more important throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Loop’s cleaning systems have been scientifically developed, in partnership with Ecolab, to sanitize each item, which means each cup is hygienically cleaned before each use, making it as safe and hygienic as single-use cups.
“This groundbreaking partnership with McDonald’s enables Loop to greatly expand its reach by bringing convenient reusable packaging options to the food service industry,” said TerraCycle and Loop CEO, Tom Szaky. “The partnership paves the way for reusables to become an accessible option for consumers as they enjoy their meal on the go.”
The Loop initiative aligns with McDonald’s continued investments to test circular solutions for cups around the world including the “Recup” system in Germany, and exploration into recoverable hot and cold fiber cups and reusable cup systems through a partnership with the NextGen Cup Challenge in the United States. McDonald’s is the world’s largest restaurant company.
“We celebrate this success with our Coalition member Loop in partnership with McDonalds UK,” said Dianna Cohen, Co-Founder and CEO of Plastic Pollution Coalition. “The time is now to move away from polluting single-use plastic and towards systems of refill and reuse for the health of us all.”
Great to see. Forget recycle and move to reuse. Why not for drinks…now!?!