McDonalds: Macron messed up the chain by banning disposables – 02/20/2023 – Market

The item that is making the most waves with customers at McDonald’s in France this start of the year is not a new hamburger or chicken sandwich, but the shiny red rubber wrapper in which the fast food chain serves its fries. .

The American multinational introduced reusable packaging in order to comply with a new French law that prohibits the use of disposable packaging and cutlery by customers who eat at the company’s restaurants.

The potato chip wrapper is so popular that customers have started to take it home as a souvenir. French President Emmanuel Macron helped spur the craze when he tweeted a picture of McDonald’s packaging to herald his government’s initiative, which took effect in January.

The theft of reusable packaging has been one of several teething problems facing companies trying to implement France’s anti-waste law, the first of its kind to come into force in Europe, and which Brussels is now seeking to implement across the European Union. Other problems include figuring out how to wash, dry and store dishes, retrain staff and absorb additional costs, which can reach up to 15,000 euros (about R$83,000 at current prices) per store, if new washing machines need to be installed. of crockery.

Some executives also doubt that the law will provide any real environmental benefit, and argue that it will result in higher carbon emissions and higher energy consumption.

For Stéphane Klein, European general director of the snack bar chain Pret A Manger, headquartered in the United Kingdom, the ban on disposable packaging helped raise people’s awareness of the need to reduce the volume of waste, but put it into practice at the French units of the company has been “very complex”.

“A change that seems simple is actually quite laborious and expensive,” he said. “We needed more than a year of testing different approaches to find out what might work.”

Under the new system, Pret employees must serve the restaurant’s sandwiches, salads and soups in two versions of packaging — disposable paper and plastic, for those who order takeout, and glass platters with rubber lids, for customers who eat at the restaurant.

Customers at a Pret store in Paris were still getting used to the change. On a recent visit, Karine Alliot stood in front of the coolers with a perplexed face when she discovered that her usual order — shrimp and avocado salad — could only be served in the glass container for consumption in the restaurant, because the take-out version was sold out. .

“I’d like a to-go portion because I’m in a hurry, so I think I’m going to have to order a sandwich,” she said.

The ban on disposable packaging is one of the most visible parts of the much broader environmental legislation passed by the Macron government in 2020. The package includes hundreds of new requirements, such as a gradual reduction and, in the future, elimination of single-use plastic packaging , by 2040, as well as promoting the recycling and reuse of products.

“The end of single-use cutlery and plates is another step in the fight against unnecessary waste,” said Christophe Bechu, France’s environment minister. “It is a concrete measure that will make the French remember the importance of the environment in their daily lives”.

But as the law’s effects begin to take effect, some executives are voicing concerns not only about the practical and financial challenges of introducing reusable plates and cutlery, but also about whether the change will benefit the environment by reducing waste and the energy consumption.

The paper packaging industry, which is on track to lose market share if reusable tableware becomes the norm, has been vehemently criticizing the measures, arguing that its disposable paper products (coffee cups or sandwich wrappers in laminated paperboard) are less harmful to the environment than their reusable counterparts made of glass or plastic, when considering the entire product lifecycle—from manufacture to disposal. Paper packaging like this can in many cases be recycled, and this does not apply to reusable tableware made from rubber or plastic.

According to a study by the European Paper Packaging Alliance (EPPA), an industry organization of European paper packaging manufacturers, the additional energy and water required to wash and dry reusable plates and cutlery in industrial machines means that the activity generates 280% more carbon emissions than is the case with single-use packaging made from paper. It also requires 340% more water consumption.

The loss, damage or theft of reusable packaging adopted by restaurants also means that its environmental benefits may be being overestimated, according to the EPPA. “Activity groups are at war with single-use packaging, but paper doesn’t do the same damage,” said Eric Le Lay, president of EPPA and chief executive of Huhtamäki, a Finnish paper packaging company.

The new rules could also result in increased food waste. Pret said it now needs to throw more food away because unsold meals packed in glass containers cannot be donated to charity.

Despite the concerns, the European Commission appears determined to follow France’s lead. A draft of a new regulation on packaging and packaging waste, released in November, includes a similar ban on the use of single-use packaging in restaurants. The proposed regulation will need to be approved by member countries and the European Parliament, meaning it would likely not come into force before 2025 at best.

Some industry executives argue that the impact of the change in French law should be assessed first. “We are concerned that this approach will be expanded to the European level, because it is not the best solution for the environment,” said Le Lay.

Another lobbyist was less diplomatic: “They’re going to make the same stupid mistakes France made, but everywhere.”

In France, some entrepreneurs have supported the requirement to use real plates and cutlery and see it as an opportunity to establish their green credentials with consumers.

Antoine Barat, one of the founders of Eat Salad, said his company’s 60 outlets in France are already serving its salads, individually produced to order, on large glass platters to frame the message. brand sustainability. And in order to comply with the new law, the chain’s soups and desserts are now also served in reusable packaging.

“The biggest challenge was to achieve this in a year where there was already a lot of pressure, with rising food and energy prices and labor shortages,” he said.

Barat offered a tip to food retailers needing to make the switch: “Switch to clear garbage bags so your employees can more easily retrieve all the plates and forks that people throw away!”

_{Financial Times, translated by Paulo Migliacci}