admin International chain McDonald’s is looking to become a market leader in vegan fast food at its United Kingdom and Ireland stores by 2025. The goal is part of its mission to become a net-zero business in the region by 2040 and globally by 2050. The new climate commitments are part of McDonald’s UK & I’s Plan for Change initiative which will result in a number of sustainability-oriented improvements in four key areas: Planet, People, Restaurants, and Food.
Initiating Change
McDonald’s UK & I has already made other changes to improve its sustainability metrics, including using only renewable electricity in its restaurants, turning cooking oil into fuel for its delivery trucks, and rolling out electric vehicle charging stations. By 2024, McDonald’s UK & I will ensure that customer packaging is made from renewable, recycled or certified sources, and is designed to be recyclable or compostable. Additionally, the Happy Meals at McDonald’s UK & I now only contain a soft toy, book, or paper-based toy, removing over 3,000 metric tons of plastic from circulation. McDonald’s is also recycling more than one million Happy Meal toys to create children’s playgrounds across the UK.
McDonald’s Vegan McPlant
Animal agriculture accounts for 14.5 to 16.5 percent of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. One of the largest sustainability changes that McDonald’s has made is the launch of the vegan McPlant burger. Developed in partnership with Beyond Meat, the new vegan McPlant burger was first tested in a few European countries, including Sweden, Denmark, and Austria. Last month, the McPlant burger landed at select locations in the UK and will make its way across all 1,400 UK and Ireland restaurants next year.
The McPlant features a Beyond Meat patty with ketchup, mustard, vegan special sauce, onions, pickles, lettuce, tomato, and vegan cheese on a vegan sesame-seed bun. Certified vegan by the country’s Vegetarian Society, the McPlant burger will be cooked on a separate grill and the chain will use dedicated utensils for its plant-based offerings. To make progress on its sustainability goals, next month, McDonald’s UK & I will open its first net-zero restaurant in Shropshire. The new store will be fully stocked with the new vegan McPlant Burger and will serve as a blueprint for its sustainability focused outlets to help McDonald’s UK & I achieve net-zero emissions at its restaurants and offices by 2030.
Global Change
Earlier this year, McDonald’s announced that it had entered a three-year partnership with Beyond Meat. While the first vegan McPlant burger made landfall abroad, the McPlant platform is designed to be flexible to global demographics and could eventually lead to a US launch—where vegan menu options are scarce. Under the McPlant platform, the chain aims to develop not only vegan burgers, but other plant-based options such as chicken, pork, and breakfast items, the specifics of which are all determined by local palettes and demands.
Magazine 
