Each toy sold in a children's menu will be "sustainable, made from more renewable, recycled or certified materials such as bio-based and plant-derived materials and certified fiber" worldwide by the end of 2025, McDonald's announced.
The U.S. fast-food retailer estimates that this gradual change will ultimately result in about a 90 percent reduction in fossil fuel-based plastic in Happy Meal toys, compared to 2018.
What materials will replace virgin plastic? The fast food chain unveils in a short video toys "under development" made of recycled PET, corn and cardboard.
In France, the first country where McDonald's has completely eliminated virgin plastic, the brand has chosen simply paper and cardboard.
Since last February, children have been able to find coloring books, game cards and sticker posters created by the Parisian design studio Omy. Currently, Happy Meal menus are served with figurines from the animated film Minions to build yourself with folds and notches to be nested.
"Paper is the material of tomorrow"
"We are convinced that paper is the material of tomorrow, and for nine years now we have been striving at Omy to innovate and create new activities for the whole family, always giving priority to cardboard and paper, environmentally responsible materials." Elvire Laurent, co-founder of Omy, in charge of designing the toys for the French Happy Meals, said at the beginning of the year.
(Please note: while McDonald's communicates the green aspect of this initiative that "is part of the company's environmental roadmap, which was developed in conjunction with all of its stakeholders The company fails to mention that it is only anticipating the application of the Agec law, which will prohibit plastic toys, offered free of charge to children on menus in France, from January 1, 2022)
