McDonald’s is testing a new reusable cup model for hot beverages in partnership with TerraCycle’s circular packaging service, Loop.

The initiative will initially be trialed in 2021 across selec McDonald’s restaurants in the UK. The move will allow customers to reduce waste by choosing a durable Loop-created cup, for a small deposit. 

The deposit can then be redeemed by returning the cup to participating McDonald’s restaurants to be safely washed through the Loop system and reused again.  

“We’re on a journey to rethink how we package products to give customers options that reduce waste, maintain the highest safety standards and enhance the McDonald’s experience. That’s an innovation challenge, and it’s one we think the Loop model has potential to help us solve,” says Jenny McColloch, vice president, global sustainability at McDonald’s. 

She details that the pilot will generate important local insights and lessons to steer future scaling up of the program.

“We’re excited to assess how new reusable packaging models could work within our system as we accelerate circular packaging solutions with our partners around the globe.”

Additionally, the Loop partnership meets McDonald’s cleanliness and safety standards, which have become more important throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Loop’s cleaning systems have been scientifically developed, in partnership with Ecolab, to sanitize each item, which means each cup is hygienically cleaned before each use, making it as safe and hygienic as single-use cups.

“This partnership with McDonald’s enables Loop to expand its reach by bringing convenient reusable packaging options to the food service industry,” says TerraCycle and Loop CEO, Tom Szaky. “The partnership paves the way for reusables to become an accessible option for consumers as they enjoy their meal on the go.”

Circular solutions for foodservice
The Loop initiative aligns with McDonald’s continued investments to test and scale circular solutions for cups around the world including the “Recup” system in Germany, and exploration into fully recoverable hot and cold fiber cups and reusable cup systems through a partnership with the NextGen Cup Challenge in the US.

This work also builds on progress McDonald’s has already made to recycle paper cups across multiple markets. Almost all of its restaurants across the UK now have recycling units for hot and cold paper cups. 

The paper cups are sent to specialist recycling centers wher the plastic lining is removed from the fiber, which is then recycled into new products.

As a member of the UK Paper Cup Coalition, McDonald’s has invested in a scheme run by Valpak that incentivizes more waste companies to collect paper cups for recycling. 

“If we’re going to curb the plastic waste crisis we need to invest in data-driven strategies that reduce our demand for virgin plastic,” says Erin Simon, head of plastic and business at World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

“For McDonald’s and the larger F&B sector, reuse will be one component of any reduction strategy. As a society we need to ensure the plastics we use today are the plastics well be able to use again in the future,” she concludes.

Innova Market Insights pegs “Plastics come full circle” as its second Top Trend for 2020 in packaging. Intensifying regulatory demand is driving the transition to more eco-friendly solutions.

Notable examples include the EU’s Single-Use Plastics Ban and, more recently, its Circular Economy Action plan, which prioritizes the reduction of excessive packaging and packaging waste, and China’s strategy to phase out a broad array of single-use plastics by 2025.