For anyone whose perception of the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), or environmental activism in general, was forged in the heat of the 1970-era environmental battles, it's time for another look.

Partnerships and progress

In 1990, EDF's president Fred Krupp met with McDonald's president Ed Resni in what eventually would create a model for EDF's corporate partnerships. The spark that fueled the meeting was McDonald's polystyrene clamshell food container, which the company replaced with paper-based wrapping. The switch cut sandwich packaging volume by 70 to 90 percent, with corresponding reductions in energy use, pollutant releases and landfill space over the lifetime of the packaging.

The young partnership didn't stop with the clamshell. The company converted its carry-out bags, coffee filters and Big Mac wraps to unbleached paper, reduced paper use by 21 percent in napkins (and incorporated 30-percent postconsumer recycled content), and asked its suppliers to incorporate 35-percent postconsumer recycled content in all corrugated shipping boxes. A decade since the partnership between EDF and McDonald's was launched, the company had eliminated more than 300 million pounds of packaging and reduced restaurant waste by 30 percent from the recycling of 1 million tons of corrugated boxes.

Expanding partnerships

Here are some of the company achievements and projects:

• 82 percent of consumer packaging used in McDonald's nine largest markets is made of renewable materials, with 30 percent of the material coming from recycled fiber. In the U.S. alone, the company purchased almost $530 million in recycled content in 2007.
• In 2007, the company voluntarily phased out a coating on some food packaging that could produce perfluorooctanic acids (PFOA). The phase-out was completed globally in the first quarter of 2008.
• In Europe, more than 80 percent of used cooking oil from its restaurants is converted into biodiesel. Some 30 percent of the fuel used in the logistics trucks that serve the restaurants comes from biodiesel. By the end of 2008, McDonald's U.K. expects to be recycling 100 percent of its used cooking oil for biodiesel to fuel delivery trucks.
• McDonald's Australia has launched a composting pilot program for waste organic materials using a dedicated collection vehicle to move waste from 40-odd restaurants around Sydney.
• In 2007, the company's corporate office building received an Energy Star Certification of 91 out of a total of 100 points. They are seeking methods to boost the score higher, including purchasing company cars with better gas mileage.
• McDonald's Green Team of employees from more than 40 departments spearheads the move to promote positive environmental changes on the corporate campus and regional offices. One recent target: the company's 2008 Worldwide Convention, for which the team achieved a 70-percent diversion of waste and kept some 244 tons of material out of the landfill.

McDonald's continues to look for new ways to reduce its environmental impact, and EDF continues to work with corporate partners on their shared commitment to environmental sustainability. PE