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McDonald's China Becomes the World's Most LEED Certified Brand

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By Bavaro ChoutePublished 2 years ago 7 min read
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McDonald's China Becomes the World's Most LEED Certified Brand
Photo by Quentin Lagache on Unsplash

If you've used the McDonald's Order App or applet lately, then you may have noticed a few more striking "greens" on the restaurant pages - the leaf next to the restaurant name, the small sign that says "Green Restaurant " on the small sign, and the distinctive green icon on the McMuffin restaurant map.

The "Green Restaurant" marker on the McDonald's ordering applet

These progressively new features are based on McDonald's Green Restaurant Commitment -- 1,800 new McDonald's restaurants will be built to LEED standards by the end of 2022. And with McDonald's planning, this goal is not only expected to be reached ahead of schedule, but they will create even more green breakthroughs.

McDonald's has the highest number of LEED-certified projects in the world

By the end of August 2022, McDonald's had nearly 1,600 green restaurants under LEED Volume, and in 2018, McDonald's China announced that they would build 1,800 new LEED-certified restaurants by 2022, and are now nearly 90 percent of the way there.

Today, at the opening of McDonald's Deli Speed restaurant in Beijing's Shougang Park, McDonald's announced that they will complete the first phase of their goal of 1,800 LEED-certified green restaurants ahead of schedule within the year. According to USGBC, McDonald's now has the largest number of LEED-certified projects in the world.

USGBC presents McDonald's China with the "World's Most LEED Projects" plaque and a congratulatory letter from the CEO.

(From right: USGBC North Asia Managing Director Risheng Du, McDonald's China Chief Development Officer Haijing Liang, McDonald's China CEO Jiayin Zhang, McDonald's China Chief Impact Officer Lei Gu, and USGBC North Asia Vice President Julia Wang)

McDonald's

McDonald's began exploring green and energy-efficient paths for its restaurants in 2013. After introducing the LEED Volume certification framework, McDonald's has been working on a variety of initiatives from "Site Selection and Transportation", "Sustainable Sites", "Energy and Atmosphere Energy and Atmosphere", "Water Efficiency", "Indoor Environmental Quality", and "Materials and Resources" to bring the design, construction and operation of new restaurants to a higher level of environmental protection. and operations to a higher environmental standard. Since the first LEED-certified McDonald's restaurant was located in Xiongan New Area in 2018, an average of one new LEED-certified green restaurant is added every day, and they are scattered all over the country, bringing LEED to more second-and third-tier cities and becoming the best platform for consumers to understand and experience LEED

These LEED-certified restaurants account for 95 percent of all new McDonald's restaurants starting in 2018 and will reduce carbon emissions by approximately 60,000 tons per year.

Julia Wang, Vice President of USGBC & GBCI North Asia, said, "In the past five years, we thank McDonald's for bringing the concept and practice of green building to more corners of China, especially in Xinjiang, Tibet, and many emerging markets where the first LEED-certified projects are McDonald's restaurants. McDonald's China has enabled more Chinese consumers to feel the peace of mind, comfort, and sustainable dining experience brought by green restaurants through the world's first green restaurant, and has continuously driven consumers and upstream and downstream partners around the world to raise awareness of energy conservation and emission reduction and encourage a green and low-carbon lifestyle."

Creating "net zero" restaurants

Adding a new green benchmark to China's carbon neutral picture

The McDonald's Beijing Shougang Garden Deli Speed Restaurant, which officially opened today, is also a restaurant with special significance - it was designed and built to LEED Zero Energy and Zero Carbon standards and is expected to be officially certified after 12 months of operation, aiming to become the first restaurant in the Asia-Pacific region to achieve both certifications. the first restaurant in the Asia Pacific region to achieve both certifications.

Targeted to be the first McDonald's Shougang Park Deli Speed restaurant in the Asia Pacific to achieve both LEED Zero Carbon and Zero Energy certifications

From LEED Green to LEED Net Zero, McDonald's is constantly seeking breakthroughs in the pursuit of sustainable restaurant spaces. It is worth noting that this new restaurant is located in Beijing Shougang Park, which was originally an industrial park but has now become a new landmark for urban renewal and green transformation, and many LEED projects in Shougang Park have been converted from old buildings.

From the outside, the restaurant's roof is covered with over 2,000 square meters of onsite solar photovoltaic power generation, which will be the highlight of the zero-carbon restaurant. The photovoltaic system will generate approximately 330,000 kWh of electricity per year, meeting the restaurant's daily operational power needs and reducing carbon emissions by approximately 200 tons per year. The data will also be displayed to consumers through a large screen of real-time data in the store, making it more open and transparent.

Solar PV panels on the roof of McDonald's Shougang Garden restaurant

In addition, the Shougang Garden restaurant is also the flagship platform for McDonald's to showcase its "green development engine". This restaurant brings together multiple concepts of the green restaurant, green supply chain, green packaging, and green recycling, which can provide consumers with an immersive green experience. For example, the restaurant has installed a full set of McDonald's "Green Restaurant" energy saving and consumption reduction systems, including an IoT energy management system, inverter smoke exhaust system, air conditioning system, fresh air ventilation equipment an,d, LED lighting system, etc. The average annual electricity consumption of the restaurant is reduced by about 35% to 40%.

In terms of material selection, Shougang Garden Deli Speed Restaurant uses GREENGUARD-certified decoration materials, which strictly control the amount of chemical volatilization in the indoor air, resulting in a fresh and natural environment, and providing consumers with a comfortable dining experience.

In addition, the restaurant is also filled with "green recycling" designs. McDonald's "Reinventing Goodies" series of products redesigned and utilize used plastics from Happy Meals to transform them into items needed by the restaurant and consumers, such as marine plastic recycling chairs. The popular product, the eco-charging bicycle, will also make its debut in Beijing at this store. Consumers can step on the bicycle and drive the electricity to wirelessly charge their cell phones, experiencing and feeling the convenience and fun brought by green low-carbon life.

More people can experience the fun of "sports + environmental protection + deliciousness"

What kind of "green and delicious" can McDonald's more than 200 million members experience?

In addition to green restaurants, McDonald's China has also launched green initiatives in more dimensions, focusing on green supply chains, green packaging, and green recycling to save energy and reduce emissions from the supply chain to restaurant operations.

In terms of the green supply chain, from supply chain to restaurant operations, McDonald's China has given full play to its influence and driven the upstream and downstream supply chains to actively explore the application of various solutions to save water and electricity. According to McDonald's China, its supply chain will save more than 267 million kWh of electricity and 2 million tons of water from 2015 to 2021. They are also reducing supply chain carbon emissions through over 95% local sourcing and sustainable procurement, along with energy-efficient logistics solutions.

In terms of green packaging, consumers have been aware of this in recent years, such as the complete elimination of plastic straws and the reduction of packaging materials and plastics. They are the first in the industry to use 100% sustainable certified virgin paper, which can reduce about 400 tons of plastic per year.

More visible, tangible, and tangible changes are still in the works. On the McDonald's China APP and app, which has more than 200 million members, consumers can see the coordinates of nearly 1,600 certified Green restaurants turn green, and click on a restaurant to learn about McDonald's Green Restaurants and LEED certification tips.

Offline, the paper bag closures of nearly 5,000 McDonald's China locations are turning from red to green today. In addition to green packaging, McDonald's will also be offering more sustainable flavors. For the upcoming McDonald's China Member Day, consumers will get McChicken burgers made with cod from sustainable fisheries that are certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) to ensure that cod is sustainably harvested and ecologically protected.

Today, you're eating McDonald's with a "green" seal!

With green restaurants at the core, McDonald's China is committed to integrating green experiences into all aspects of the customer journey, participating in efforts with customers, and "embracing green living" together with consumers.

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About the Creator

Bavaro Choute

And I forget about you long enough to forget why I needed to

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