McDonald’s expands collaboration with UBQ Materials to boost plastic substitution from unrecyclable waste

08 Sep 2023 --- UBQ Materials, a climate tech developer of materials made from waste, announced the expansion of its partnership with Arcos Dorados, a McDonald’s franchisee, to provide it with connection boxes and modular wood boards. 

The material, named UBQ, is a plastic substitute from unrecyclable household waste, such as packaging. Arcos Dorados has been working with UBQ Materials since 2019, previously integrating UBQ materials into serving trays in McDonald’s restaurants across Brazil and the Caribbean. 

“When Arcos Dorados began the cooperation with UBQ Materials, we challenged the team to find applications to use UBQ throughout our McDonald’s branches and supply chain,” says Marie Tarrisse, head of social impact and sustainability at the Brazil Division of Arcos Dorados.

“Our collaboration has been an important part of our approach to building sustainable operations and is setting a new standard for environmental responsibility in the restaurant sector.”

According to UBQ Materials, every kilogram of Israeli-manufactured UBQ replaces 1 kg of oil-based plastic, diverts 1.3 kg of waste from landfills and incinerators, and prevents up to 11.7 kg of CO2 emissions measured over a 20-year time horizon.

Reducing carbon emissions
Arcos Dorados has integrated condensation-based water recovery and renewable energy sources for the restaurant. Other innovations also include recycled materials on the walls and floors of the franchise.

UBQ Materials worked with Brazilian manufacturer Madeplast to incorporate UBQ into modular wood boards in the bench structures of the restaurant – the first time UBQ has been incorporated into wooden building components. This was done “to create eco-friendly alternatives to everyday materials and products.”

McDonald’s in Brazil uses unrecyclable packaging materials to make serving trays. The franchise is replacing resource-intensive materials and lowering carbon emissions to fulfill its global sustainability goals, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 36% in restaurants and offices and by 31% throughout the supply chain by 2030.

Arcos Dorados is the “world’s largest” independent McDonald’s franchisee and has become the first UBQ partner to implement building components made with the waste transitioner.

UBQ Materials says the partnership highlights a “keen emphasis on circular economy.”

Educational and informative materials are displayed around the restaurant, encouraging more environmentally conscious lifestyle choices and educating customers on optimal waste management practices.

“Collaborations like these drive meaningful change, showing that sustainability does not have to come at the cost of performance or companies’ bottom lines,” says Albert Douer, co-CEO and chairman of UBQ Materials.

Non-plastic trays
Arcos Dorados invited the public into the São Paulo, Brazil, McDonald’s restaurant beginning August 30, 2023, allowing visitors to explore the environmentally sustainable solutions implemented throughout the branch.

The latest collaboration builds on the initial partnership between the companies that introduced sustainable McTrays made with UBQ. The trays have achieved climate positivity for the estimated climate impact of the trays’ materials over a 20-year time horizon.

Arcos Dorados operates the largest quick-service restaurant chain in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Edited by Sabine Waldeck