McDonald's Korea serving sundaes in fully-recycled packaging

The fast food giant's Korean unit is serving its sundae ice cream in cups made from recycled PET.

McDonald's Korea serves its ice cream in fully recycled cups. [MCDONALD'S KOREA]

ANSEONG, Gyeonggi — McDonald's customers in Korea are now being served their sundae ice cream in slightly tinted transparent plastic cups and lids. These are not just any ordinary plastic items — they are made from discarded plastic bottles. Each cup-and-lid set is made from approximately two and a half recycled 500-milliliter (17 ounce) plastic bottles.

This is part of McDonald's efforts to reduce its carbon footprint, with the company expecting to achieve carbon reduction by approximately 59 percent. McDonald's Korea aims to positively influence the industry as the first to implement this initiative among the fast food giant's global network chain as well as the Korean food service sector.

Fabric made from recycled plastic is being produced at a factory of Sangjin, a partner of McDonald's Korea, on Tuesday. [SEO JI-EUN]

Saving the planet one scoop at a time At the factory of Sangjin, the partner responsible for packaging production for McDonald's Korea, located in Anseong, Gyeonggi, the roar of machinery drowned out conversations as transparent film-like material flowed steadily from the industrial equipment. This fabric is made from melted rPET chips, the raw material of recycled PET.

Following the molding process, the fabric moves to adjacent machines where it's shaped into cups, with the iconic McDonald's "M" symbol embossed during production. To ensure comfort when eating, the rims of the cups are rounded.

Cups made from recycled plastic are processed at a factory of Sangjin, a partner of McDonald's Korea, on Tuesday. [SEO JI-EUN]

Richard Ha, a purchasing supervisor at McDonald's Korea, highlighted the company's commitment to various environmental, social and governance (ESG) activities, including food quality assurance, environmental responsibility, community engagement, and employee education.

“While our focus used to be on reducing plastic usage, we’re now shifting toward finding ways to recycle waste generated in stores,” Ha said during a press tour on Tuesday.

Despite their recycled origin, these cups maintain hygiene and quality standards, undergoing a rigorous sterilization, washing, processing and shredding regime.

"Compared to conventional products, there is no compromise in hygiene or quality," said Kim Han-il, senior director of supply chain management at McDonald's Korea. "Initially, we also had concerns, but customers have responded positively to recycled PET."

Kim Han-il, senior director of supply chain management at McDonald's Korea, speaks during an interview at McDonald's Pyeongtaek GS D/T branch on Tuesday. [MCDONALD'S KOREA]

Koreans’ exceptional recycling efforts McDonald's Korea has become the first among global McDonald's subsidiaries to adopt 100 percent recycled PET. Initially implemented for sundae ice cream cups, the plan is to utilize 100 percent recycled plastic for all takeaway coffee cups by the year's end.

What sets McDonald's Korea's initiative apart is the recycling ratio of the newly introduced product. Recycled PET is the most eco-friendly option, but its production entails a relatively high cost — about 20 percent higher than that of conventional plastic — and a lengthy manufacturing procedure due to its complex processing requirements. In the face of such impediments, some companies opt for lower percentages of recycled plastic.

The recycled plastic chips, center, which are transformed into plastic cups and lids for McDonald's sundae ice cream. [SEO JI-EUN]

Despite the initial cost burden, McDonald's Korea believes that through ESG activities, they can build consumer trust, and it may eventually contribute to revenue growth.

"Among the younger generation, when companies engage in acts of goodwill, they say they "make donjjul" [a combination of honjjul, meaning punishment in Korean, and don, meaning money], implying that they are ‘reprimanding’ the company with money,” Kim said in an interview with reporters.

“With us emphasizing not only environmental activities but also social responsibility activities, consumers are becoming more aware over time, and as our brand trust increases, it significantly benefits sales,” Kim said.

As the climate crisis worsens, the markets most proactive in environmental regulations are Europe and the United States. The EU has implemented a regulation that by 2025, beverage bottles must be made with at least 25 percent recycled materials, and California has required that all forms of single-use packaging be recyclable or compostable by 2032.

It was in February 2022 that the Korean government established standards for the recycling of food containers using transparent PET bottles. However, there have been fluctuations in environmental policies across different administrations, such as with paper straws.

McDonald's sundae ice cream is served in 100 percent rPET plastic. [MCDONALD'S KOREA]

Among the global fast food company's chains, the reason McDonald's Korea became the first to introduce 100 percent recycled plastic is thanks to the country's recycling culture.

"I lived abroad for 23 years, and there aren't many countries like Korea that strictly enforce separate waste collection, like peeling off the labels from PET bottles after drinking a beverage. In other countries, garbage is simply dumped altogether,” Kim said.

"European countries are pushing environmental initiatives at the government level, but companies voluntarily engaging in initiatives like ours are very hard to find,” Kim said. “We expect many companies to join the use of recycled PET in the future, expanding the market and reducing the cost burden."

McDonald's food is served in eco-friendly packaging [MCDONALD'S KOREA]

'We do it because we like it' McDonald's emphasizes its environmental commitment with the slogan “Better World, Better McDonald's," or "we do it because we like it" in Korean, suggesting a motive beyond profit. The ice cream served in their recycled plastic cups is sourced from the milk of cows given feed repurposed from McCafe coffee waste. The company aims to go further by 2025, transitioning all packaging used in stores to materials that are recyclable and reusable.

Previously, strawless lids were introduced, which were recycled into materials for winter outerwear for the staff.

"We are genuinely committed to environmental sustainability under the banner of 'Better World, Better McDonald's,'" expressed Kim. "We hope to inspire other companies to join us in our collective journey toward a more eco-conscious future."

In addition to their environmental initiatives, McDonald's is also pushing for social responsibility with the inclusive hiring of seniors and people with disabilities, while also engaging in community-focused projects.

BY SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]