2 June 2021. To reduce packaging waste, McDonald's is continuously testing innovative alternatives. Now, for the first time, the company is selling a burger in grass paper and saving nearly 70 percent of packaging material with this change alone.

McDonald's is giving grass! And it's doing so as part of its roadmap for less plastic and packaging waste. For with the Deutschlandburger, a premium burger is now wrapped in innovative grass paper instead of a box for the first time. With this change in packaging, the company is underlining its increased focus on more sustainable packaging solutions in the future. In addition to the Deutschlandburger, McWraps are also available in packaging made of grass paper.

The packaging changeover is a further step in the roadmap to reduce plastic and packaging waste. By 2025, all sales packaging is to be made from 100 percent renewable, recycled or certified materials. "As the market leader in system catering, we want to play an active role in shaping the path toward reducing plastic and packaging waste. For example, we will use less packaging material in the future and serve more and more burgers in alternative packaging, such as innovative wrap paper," said Holger Beeck, Chairman of the Board, McDonald's Deutschland LLC.

Paper made from grass: Less saves more!
Novel processes and the incorporation of grass fibers into the paper save large amounts of energy, water and CO2 in production. In addition, no chemicals are used in the production of this fiber. The grass paper used by McDonald's contains a grass content of 20 percent, is FSC-licensed and does not require long transport routes. It comes from existing grasslands and thus does not compete with other uses. By switching the packaging for the Deutschlandburger to grass paper, a reduction in packaging material of almost 70 percent is achieved.

Grass first, then wrap!
As part of its "Ganz bei Euch" trust campaign, the company also wants to draw attention to its waste reduction efforts and the new packaging material. To this end, a dedicated microsite has been created where interested parties can find all the information they need about the packaging and measures used. At the heart of the campaign is a social media film that brings together two people who are united by the topic of grass in an unusual way. The clip tells the story of greenkeeper Oliver Happel and the journey of his beloved grass on its way to a second life as burger packaging. In the process, he meets Kristin Kilger, who is jointly responsible for the production of McDonald's own grass paper at Pfleiderer Spezialpapiere in Teisnach. The viewer thus learns in an entertaining way how dried grass is finally processed into wrapping paper for McDonald's products.
(McDonald's Germany LLC)