McDonald’s opens UK’s first net zero restaurant

McDonald’s has opened the UK’s first net zero carbon restaurant in Market Drayton, Shropshire.

The site is powered by on-site solar panels and wind turbines, features a Drive-Thru lane made from recycled tyres, and kerb stones made from plastic bottles.

Other innovations include wall art made from recycled polystyrene cups fixed in place with potato starch from McDonald’s potatoes, EV charging points and furniture made from 100% recyclable materials.

The restaurant has been designed to be net zero emissions in both construction and every day operation and will be used to create a blueprint for McDonald’s new builds across the country from 2022.

The fast food chain hopes to achieve net zero emissions for all its 1,400 restaurants and offices by 2030.

Beth Hart, McDonald’s vice president supply chain and brand trust, commented: “At McDonald’s we believe that our food needs to be served in restaurants that are sustainable for the future.

“Market Drayton is a big step towards making that a reality, enabling us to test and put into practice what a net zero emissions building, both in build and use, really looks like. We’ve already started to roll out some of these innovations to other restaurants, but what is exciting about Market Drayton is the fact it will act as a blueprint for our future new builds.”

McDonald’s already operates sustainable practices at many of its restaurants including using British sheep’s wool that would otherwise have gone to landfill for insulation, and building cladding made from recycled IT equipment and white household goods like washing machines.