McDonald’s Sustainability Report Clarifies Industry Leading Forest Standards for Packaging

Fast food giant McDonald’s recently released its 2012-2013 Corporate Social Responsibility & Sustainability Report, and Dogwood is pleased to see the company emphasize its clear commitment to give buying preference to Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paper products. In giving preference to FSC, McDonald’s recognizes FSC as providing the best assurance of meeting its new forestry standards. FSC is the only forest certification system in the world supported by conservation groups because it prohibits bad forestry practices, such as large-scale clearcutting, conversion of natural forests to plantations, logging of endangered forests, and widespread use of toxic chemicals in forest management practices. McDonald’s recent announcement follows their 2011 Sustainable Land Management Commitment, setting out goals to improve how they source everything from beef and chicken to paper packaging. McDonald’s now pledges to “More Sustainable Packaging from the Start”. Including FSC and recycled fiber.The company’s FSC buying power has helped drive the increase in FSC certified forestland in the US South, which now extends over 4 million acres.

In addition, the McDonald’s publication recognized International Paper (IP) with a “Best of Sustainable Supply” nod for IP’s work expanding their FSC certified fiber procurement. This work has resulted in group certification of landowners to the FSC standard. The growth of IP’s FSC certified fiber supply comes as a part of IP’s commitments memorialized in the Dogwood IP agreement to be the largest user of FSC wood in the world.

We all know McDonald’s has a long road ahead in becoming a sustainable business – if that is really even possible in any honest sense of the word. In 2013, only 14% of their paper was either certified or recycled, but the company itself has acknowledged that it can and plans to do better. So here’s to it, Golden Arches.