McDonald's HK dives in deeper with sustainability initiative alongside Baby Shark and Aaron Kwok

McDonald’s and its green ambassador Aaron Kwok have joined hands to step forward in sustainability, by ceasing providing plastic cutlery and introducing wooden cutlery at its physical stores in phases.McDonald’s has also partnered with Pinkfong’s Baby Shark to launch a series of children’s storybooks focusing on environmental education to encourage everyone to practice green living together. 

Starting from 22 September 2022, all plastic spoons, plastic forks, plastic knives and plastic cutlery bags will cease to be provided at all McDonald’s restaurants and McCafés, they will be switched to wooden cutlery. The remaining cutlery including McFlurry spoons and McCafé long black spoons will cease to be provided in the next phase.

The new initiative is another major milestone for plastic reduction since McDonald’s "Say bye to straws" campaign in the first quarter of 2021, where all iced drinks get served with newly designed straw-less lids.   McDonald’s estimates the change to wooden cutlery will cease the production of nearly 100 million pieces of plastic per year. This demonstrates McDonald’s commitment to sustainability by taking a step further to protect the environment and combat global climate change.

Landing in Hung Hom station, Baby Shark has also joined hands with McDonald’s to launch a brand-new series of Happy Meal storybooks with six themes focusing on environmental protection: “Plastic reduction 101; Straws? NO!NO!NO!”; “Help the forest; Baby Shark: The Energy Saver; Big Waster? NOWAY”;and “Let’s defeat the rubbish demon”.  The storybooks are available for three consecutive weeks, starting from 23 September. Two themed storybooks will be unveiled each week, for a total of six in the series.

The series aims to educate the next generation on sustainability with engaging content, helping to build awareness for environmental protection starting from a young age. McDonald’s green ambassador aka pop star Aaron Kwok, was also invited to promote the idea of plastic reduction and encourages the public to practice green living.

How does the partnership impact marketers?

In a conversation with MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, Randy Lai, CEO of McDonald’s Hong Kong, said that in order to be at the forefront of the market, McDonald's must have a deep understanding of our customers and their evolving behaviours, "We have seen our customers being increasingly sustainability conscious. With the implementation of our new plastic reduction initiatives and the launch of Happy Meal books on sustainability, McDonald's is demonstrating our commitment to sustainability by taking a step further towards protecting the environment and educating the next generation. We also urge industry players to drive innovative initiatives on sustainability together, and continue promoting these essential initiatives it to the community," Lai added. 

“McDonald’s has been a part of Hong Kong’s social fabric for the past 47 years. Over the years, we have been incorporating sustainability concepts in our business strategy and operations to contribute to a greener planet. This year, we are proud to achieve another sustainability milestone by switching to wooden cutlery at all McDonald’s restaurants and McCafés, reducing the use of 100 million pieces of plastic cutlery per year. By encouraging our customers to practice green living and make small changes every day, we go the extra mile to protect the environmentwith our customers,” Lai said. 

Since its establishment in Hong Kong 47 years ago, McDonald’s says that it has enhanced its sustainable development and green operations. In early 2008, McDonald’s began converting waste cooking oil from all its restaurants into reusable energy such as biodiesel. Attempting to achieve100% no kitchen waste, McDonald’s adopted a Made-for-you system in 2009 to minimise waste from pre-made meals by only preparing food after receiving orders.

McDonald’s said it also started implementing high-efficiency LED lighting in phases across its operations in 2012, which helps reduce over two million kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions annually. In 2018, McDonald’s aimed for the complete elimination of foam packaging, and paperless transactions from 2020 by using the McDonald’s app. The total reduction of paper usage per year was equivalent to 3,500 standard-size basketball courts. With its vision of sustainable development, McDonald’s has reviewed its use of ingredients and menu so as to provide wholesome offerings to customers, according to the company. 

In 2019, the McDonald’s restaurant in Hung Hom station reopened with a fresh image and became the first-ever Hong Kong eatery to achieve the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) platinum certificationfrom the US. Green Building Council in the category of Interior Design and Construction.

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