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McDonald's transitioning away from polystyrene cups

September 26, 2013

McDonald's plans to fully transition to paper cups at its 14,000-plus U.S. restaurants, after a successful test of the more sustainable product. The move will eliminate the chain's current polystyrene hot beverage cups.

According to As You Sow, McDonald's has been testing double-walled paper cups since early 2012. The pilot took place at 2,000 U.S. stores and has been called a success by the company. The polystyrene cups will be phased out in the coming months.

In 2011, As You Sow, an environmental and social corporate responsibility organization, asked McDonald's shareholders to consider a more sustainable solution for its beverage packaging.

While the test inspired As You Sow to drop its shareholder resolution, the organization is now asking McDonald's to further continue its efforts toward more sustainable practices, writing:

"The company's competitor Starbucks uses 10 percent recycled paper fiber in its paper hot beverage cups. It has committed to recycle all post-consumer paper and plastic cups discarded in company-owned stores by 2015. It offers a discount for customers who bring reusable beverage containers into stores. We would like McDonald's to match Starbucks leadership in moving towards more environmentally responsible cups by developing recycling systems for post-consumer in-house beverage containers and using high levels of recycled content."

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