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McDonald’s (MCD) plans to give its iconic Happy Meal toys a major makeover, as big companies strive to make their operations more environmentally friendly in the face of climate change.
On Tuesday, the Golden Arches announced their intention to make every toy in the world more sustainable by 2025. To do this, McDonald’s is working closely with its supply chain to use renewable, recycled or certified materials.
If done, the fast food giant estimates it will lead to a 90% reduction in virgin plastic – or new materials created from petroleum instead of recycled – over the next 4 years.
At McDonald’s locations in the UK and Ireland, Happy Meal toys are already moving to more sustainable materials, while in France the transition is already over. In those countries combined, the company says it has seen a 30% reduction in virgin plastic since 2018.
Jenny McColloch, director of sustainability at McDonald’s, said in a statement that the transition is in line with the next generation of consumers who “care deeply about protecting the planet and what we can do to make our business more sustainable. “.
What exactly can consumers expect from the newly updated Happy Meal boxes?
The company aims to keep the ‘fun’ in every Happy Meal toy, working not only with suppliers, but also with families, game experts and engineers for innovative designs and game experts.
However, McDonald’s also intends to create interactive games that can appeal to the whole family, in addition to customizable crafts and custom building projects.
This includes “fan favorites” like Batman which previously came in the form of a plastic figure, but can now reappear as a three-dimensional (3D) figure that consumers can build themselves; or a re-emergence of the “Minions” characters in an interactive and customizable format. Kids can add eyes, pants and hair on their own, as well as stickers to make them unique.
McDonald’s is also exploring ways to recycle old toys to create new restaurant trays and to replace plastic toy packaging with new plant-based and fiber-based packaging. Currently, nearly 100% of fiber-based guest wrap at McDonald’s, including paper bags, food wraps, napkins and cup holders, is made from recycled or certified sources.
And while nothing beats some of the most popular items since Happy Meal began in 1979, including Teenie Beanie Babies and Mini Furbies, McDonald’s is banking on customer enthusiasm for Happy Meals remaining strong.
Louise Soper, Senior Vice President of Global Brand Partnerships at Warner Bros. Pictures, gave its opinion on the initiative. “We applaud McDonald’s push for more sustainable toys around the world and we are actively imagining what your next batch of your family’s favorite characters will look like in an equally fun and even better way for the environment,” a- she said in a statement. .
Brooke DiPalma is a producer and reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter at @BrookeDiPalma or email him at [email protected].
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