McDonald’s launches new paper-based cutlery across the UK and Ireland

McDonald’s launches new paper-based cutlery across the UK and Ireland

London, Monday 31^st October 2022: McDonald’s UK & Ireland has announced that it is replacing all plastic cutlery, including the iconic McFlurry spoon, with a new sustainable, paper-based material in all its restaurants across the UK and Ireland.

The new cutlery is made from resilient, renewable, FSC certified pressed-paper and is fully recyclable and compostable. The cutlery will be rolled out in restaurants across England and Wales from today, following a successful switch from plastic to paper cutlery in Scotland, the Republic of Ireland, and Northern Ireland in the first half of the year. By shifting from plastic cutlery to paper-based, McDonald’s anticipates it will eliminate 858 metric tonnes of plastic annually across the UK.

The renewable and compostable McFlurry spoon and cutlery is part of McDonald’s commitment to lead on reducing packaging and waste and find suitable alternatives to single-use plastic as part of its business and sustainability strategy – Plan for Change.

This includes a goal to achieve net zero emissions across its entire UK and Ireland business and value chain by 2040, alongside a target to ensure all its customer packaging is made from renewable, recycled, or certified sources and is fully recyclable and compostable by 2024.

To achieve this, McDonald’s has already introduced paper-based straws, new McFlurry cups without plastic lids and developed salad boxes made from card – saving 1858 metric tonnes of plastic to date.

Nina Prichard, Head of Sustainable and Ethical Sourcing at McDonald’s said: “As a business, we’re committed to taking action on packaging and waste and increasing our use of sustainable materials. We’re pleased to announce another step forward in eliminating single-use plastics and it’s great to be switching our famous McFlurry spoons to this new paper-based material.”

The new paper cutlery will be gradually introduced in restaurants in England and Wales, as McDonald’s phases out its existing plastic products first.

ENDS