In its effort to reduce plastics and packaging waste, McDonald’s Deutschland (Munich / Germany; www.mcdonalds.de) is planning broader measures than legally required by the European single-use plastics directive – see Plasteurope.com of 23.05.2019. This includes the “McFlurry” ice cream being served without plastic covers and plastic spoons Germany-wide as of 2020. The fast food chain will instead offer what it calls “more sustainable packaging.” The company will also in future offer alternatives for its milkshakes and “McSundae” ice creams. Milkshakes will be served in paper cups, while the future packaging for the latter has not yet been decided on.

The company also plans to do away with plastic clips for balloons as of 2019 and is continuously experimenting with reusable options for on-the-go beverages, such as implementing its “Recup” deposit system for hot drinks. McDonald’s Deutschland expects to save around 1,000 t/y of plastics in dessert packaging alone in Germany once the intended changes have been made.