McDonald’s Serves Up Reusable Tableware, Happy Meal Boxes In France

McDonald’s is taking a few actionable nuggets to leave single-use plastics in the past. In line with France’s disposable packaging and cutlery ban, which took effect at the start of the year, the fast-food giant has begun serving meals in reusable tableware in the country.

Tastefully retaining its iconic branding, McDonald’s France’s new tableware includes French fry and potato wedges boxes swathed in the unmistakable red and labeled with a small Golden Arches symbol.

The set comes with clear, reusable cups in various sizes, as shown in a tweet gone viral from last November.

absolutely *loving* the design of this reusable packaging that's being introduced at mcdonalds france pic.twitter.com/kDSsNS5Xnz

— juan (@juanbuis) November 19, 2022

As per Brand Eating, the chain has extended its sustainable approach to bowls and cutlery for salads, nugget holders, and packaging for frozen desserts.

Not one to take away childhoods, McDonald’s France has allowed the Happy Meal to live on in washable and recyclable form. The container, complete with the signature smile and logo, appears to have a push-button, keeping faithful to the unboxing experience. The meal arrives with an adorably-sized fry holder and a washable yogurt cup.

turns out there's a reusable happy meal and... i'm obsessed pic.twitter.com/2HoQ1DBTPr

— juan (@juanbuis) November 19, 2022

The company has also set up return areas for dirty tableware to be cleaned and passed forward to the next customer.

Accordingly, the cardboard packaging for burgers and wraps has also been swapped out for recyclable paper alternatives.

The move has been applauded by French President Emmanuel Macron. “Look around you: In France, changes are at work to change our consumption patterns and reduce our waste,” he responds in a tweet.

Besides keeping up with new laws, the revamped dining ware takes McDonald’s closer to its goal of replacing all packaging with 100% certified, recycled, or renewable materials by 2025. The brand says that, as of 2021, about 82.7% of its primary packaging materials and 96.8% of its primary fiber packaging already hails from upcycled or certified sources.

[via Brand Eating and The Cool Down, images via various sources]