No plastic: McDonald's tests sustainable restaurant in Berlin

In an official press release released Aug. 28, McDonald's fast-food chain presented several solutions as a test to assert its concern for sustainability. In addition to this care, the brand has shown attention to the need to comply with new rules on the use of plastic that should come into force in 2021 in the European Union.

According to Diana Wicht, head of the company's sustainability department in Germany, the idea this time around was to open some experimental spaces just to capture the real public opinion before the actual launch of the solutions: “McDonald's usually comes up with perfect solutions. This time we said, 'We don't have perfect solutions yet ... Please help us!' ”Commented in a note.

The first store with this concept installed inside a mall in Berlin was named Better McDonald's Store and, among the sustainable options, featured edible cups made from waffle paste, paper straws, wooden cutlery, snack packaging grass and using paper bags instead of cardboard boxes.

Customers of this project were able to give their opinion for 10 days about the products, following the company's own desire to refine the idea elsewhere. Among the key points, the grass-based packaging and edible cups achieved the best results. On the other hand, paper straws and wooden cutlery were not well accepted. The company also says its efforts to create green stores remain and other locations could be part of the project to make consumer dialogue closer worldwide.