UBQ Materials discusses using packaging waste to create multi-purpose solutions for McDonald’s restaurants

19 Sep 2023 --- Israel-based UBQ Materials has expanded the use of its UBQ – a plastic substitute from unrecyclable household waste, with disposed packaging as the majority ingredient – in Arcos Dorados, a McDonald’s franchisee. The material is implemented in the quick-service restaurants’ food trays to customers’ seats. 

Sophie Tuviahu, vice president of business development and sales for UBQ Materials, speaks with Packaging Insights about how the company uses waste from the packaging industry to create UBQ for a wide range of ecological solutions to reduce companies’ environmental impact. 

The climate tech developer recently raised US$70 million in a financing round led by Eden Global Partners. The investment is set to support the company’s commercial, sales and marketing scale-up throughout Europe and North America as part of a continuing global expansion.

Why is it significant that McDonald’s is implementing UBQ?
Tuviahu: Arcos Dorados was among the first to test UBQ and find the applications to implement the materials. In January 2021, Arcos Dorados introduced environmentally sustainable Made with UBQ McTrays into 30 McDonald’s restaurants in Brazil. By replacing oil-based plastic with 12.5% UBQ, the trays are rendered climate-positive on a global warming potential 20 years timescale. This success has prompted Arcos Dorados to extend their use across the country.

UBQ is used in McDonald’s serving trays in Brazil.Expanding the use of UBQ now in bench seating and electrical casing systems demonstrates both the successful functional performance of the materials and, even more significantly, shows that with an open collaboration such as the partnership between UBQ Materials and Arcos Dorados, the opportunity to introduce environmentally sustainable materials can and will be found. For Arcos Dorados, using UBQ as a centerpiece of their materials strategy highlights their commitment to environmental sustainability. It helps them work toward their ambitious targets, including reducing GHG emissions by 36% in restaurants and offices and 31% throughout the supply chain by 2030.

How much of the materials are made from packaging waste?
Tuviahu: Packaging waste is a big part of the unrecyclable waste content in the UBQ feedstock. The majority of the waste stream is composed of packaging materials. The US Environmental Protection Agency states that over half of municipal solid waste comes from food packaging. The benefit of UBQ’s conversion process is that we take in the entire waste stream – all of the packaging waste that will not be recycled in the conventional recycling stream, and we can convert it into UBQ. This is the circularity Arcos Dorados is putting into practice.

How can UBQ be used to mitigate waste made by the packaging industry?
Tuviahu: It will take many different solutions to mitigate the waste made by the packaging industry. Some of these solutions will be in how we manage the end of life of packaging – the recycling infrastructures in place are essential, but not enough. Today’s recycling processes only capture a limited amount of packaging. Each material has to be separated into specific streams, and much of it is rendered unrecyclable, ending up in landfills or incineration.

We’ve solved this issue with UBQ. Because we can take the entire waste stream – from unrecyclable packaging and mixed plastics to food waste and dirty diapers – and convert it into our highly recyclable bio-based material. This is circularity at its best. 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 CO2eq emissions measured over a 20-year time horizon.

What are some challenges in creating UBQ and how did you overcome them?UBQ Materials, vice president of business development and sales, says the current recycling infrastructures in place are essential but not enough.
Tuviahu: The key challenge was finding the correct manufacturing and compounding partners to make these products a reality. For the serving trays, we worked with Semaza, which specializes in manufacturing and supplying plastic products for the foodservice industry. For this project with Arcos Dorados, we worked with Tigre to develop the electrical conduits, casings and Madeplast for the bench seating boards.

This multi-directional project was between UBQ Materials, Arcos Dorados and our manufacturing partners. This shows us how collaboration with willing partners can result in high-quality, scalable solutions that advance environmental sustainability in endless applications. We’ve got many more in the pipeline.

How can other companies take inspiration from Acros Dorados implementing UBQ?
Tuviahu: The Arcos Dorados case is a case of leadership and commitment – they examined their supply chain and challenged their vendors and UBQ to think outside the box to create solutions. In the same manner as Arcos Dorados, other industry leaders need to be persistent and innovative in working with the countless start-ups in the space that are innovating and developing real solutions to better address waste and clean manufacturing. In a reality where extended producer responsibility is around the corner, designing for recycling and implementing environmentally sustainable material solutions is critical.

By Sabine Waldeck