Fast food giant McDonald’s announced it will work with suppliers to reduce greenhouse gases 36 per cent by 2030 in a bid to tackle climate change.
The American brand, which is the world's fourth largest employer, said it will be the first restaurant company to set “science based” targets for emissions, preventing 150 million metric tons of greenhouse gases being released into the atmosphere.
Additionally, McDonald’s committed to a 31% reduction in emissions intensity (per metric ton of food and packaging) across its supply chain by 2030 from 2015 levels. Their pledge was approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).
“To create a better future for our planet, we must all get involved. McDonald’s is doing its part by setting this ambitious goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to address the challenge of global climate change,” said Steve Easterbrook, McDonald’s President and CEO, who announced the plan in a video released by the company.
“To meet this goal, we will source our food responsibly, promote renewable energy and use it efficiently, and reduce waste and increase recycling.”
McDonald’s will prioritize action on the largest segments of its carbon footprint: beef production, restaurant energy usage and sourcing, packaging and waste. These segments combined, account for approximately 64% of McDonald’s global emissions.
TheScience Based Targets initiative(SBTi) is a collaboration between WRI, WWF, CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project) and the United Nations Global Compact, which helps companies determine how much they must cut emissions to do their part to address climate change.
