McDonald’s, along with its partners Pactiv Evergreen, INEOS, Neste, and LyondellBasell, will trial clear plastic cups sourced from post-consumer plastic and biobased materials such as used cooking oil, using a mass-balance approach to produce the recyclable solution.
The new circular clear cups are made with the intention of being nearly identical to the McDonald’s existing cups. According to the company, consumers are unlikely to notice any difference between the two.
According to McDonald’s, the test cups are sourced from a 50-50 mix of post-consumer plastic material and biobased materials. The company says that the material uses mass balance method process which will allow it to measure and track recycled and biobased inputs being used in the process while also mixing traditional fossil-fuel sources. The biobased material is crafted in part from McDonald’s used cooking oil.
The test, according to McDonald’s, is one of many steps that will help the company to meet its goal of sourcing 100% of guest packaging from renewable, recycled or certified sources by 2025. Additionally, McDonald’s is working hard to increase the accessibility of this material nationwide.
Jenny McColloch, vice president of global sustainability at McDonald’s, said, “We know that plastic packaging can provide the food safety and performance our customers expect from their McDonald’s experience, but we also believe that plastic pollution is an issue we all need to help address. Ultimately, this test signals to the industry that McDonald’s – one of the world’s largest restaurant companies – is serious about supporting the production of biobased and recycled materials.”